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The ocean covers most of the planet's surface and is home to a huge number of living creatures.
Some of them, especially those that live in the deepest parts of the ocean, have a very funny appearance and never cease to amaze scientists, for example, a rough clumsy shark, informs Consultant.
When we think of sharks, we tend to think of large, muscular predators such as great whites or hammerheads. However, in reality this is not always the case: an example of this is the rough clumsy shark, or pig shark (Oxynotus centrina). Members of this species have flat heads, wide-set eyes, massive nostrils, pink muzzles, and pronounced dermal denticles, giving them a furry, pig-like appearance.
According to Yuri Tiberto from the Elba Aquarium in Italy, the clumsy sharks live in the eastern part of the Atlantic Ocean from Norway to South Africa and in the Mediterranean Sea. This species is called pig sharks, but not only because of their appearance - they have another interesting feature: when sharks come out of the water, they make sounds that are very similar to grunting.
Representatives of this species reach a length of about a meter and have a thick gray-brown body with two large dorsal fins that resemble fins. At the same time, their profile has a triangular appearance from the front. Pig sharks are also known to feed on fish, crustaceans, molluscs, sea worms and even the eggs of other sharks.
Like all sharks, their skin is covered with dermal denticles—flat structures composed of pulp, dentin, and enamel. But there is one peculiarity, the teeth of clumsy sharks are especially large and pronounced, which gives them a slightly "fluffy" appearance. Scientists still do not know what these teeth are for, but they believe that they help protect against larger predators.
Researchers believe that the strange physiological features of pig-like sharks are probably related to their lifestyle: representatives of this species spend most of their time swimming just above the seabed in search of food. They are known to move smoothly while sucking their prey.
Clumsy sharks have a single set of razor-sharp teeth on their lower jaws, and conical teeth on their upper jaws to help them pierce slippery prey. A 2015 study found that, in addition to fish and crustaceans, porcupine sharks feed on the eggs of other shark species. Scientists discovered embryos of other plate-gilled sharks in their stomachs.
Members of this species do not have much commercial value, but their large fins and spines make them vulnerable to being caught in fishing nets. Today, this species is included in the Red List of endangered species.
