rom being injured when prey are thrashing around, and a nasal barber, which are sensory projections near the nasal (Lineaweaver and Backus 1970). In the mouth, teeth are modified, enlarged placoid scales. Having numerous rows of teeth attached at their bases by connective tissue, sharks have rows of replacement teeth that are continually developed behind the outer row. As the functional teeth fall out, the replacement teeth will take their place, and in some species as many as 30,000 teeth are replaced within a lifetime (Lineaweaver & Backus 1970). Shark mating rituals vary from the size of the shark and its specie. In smaller, more flexible species, the male coils around the female, while the male of the larger specie orients himself parallel and head-to-head with the female (Woums & Demski 1993). Some species mating rituals also consists of males biting females on the pectoral fins or the middle of the back to hold on to them (Woums & Demski 1993). The female will often bear scars or marks, after the ordeal. Due to the fact that sharks are cold blooded animals, there is no precise gestation time. The development of the embryo will depend solely on the temperature of the water, however, the gestation period can last anywhere from 2 months to 2 years (Woums & Demski 1993). Within shark species there are two methods of reproduction. In some cases a female shark will lay eggs in a coastal nursery where the presence of other sharks are absent. And in other cases, usually in the larger sharks, females give birth to live offspring (Wourms & Demski 1993). In which case the young are born fully developed, and once they are born they shoot away fast or they risk being eaten.Adapted for a wide range of aquatic habitats, various shark species inhabit shallow coastal habitats, deep-water ocean floor habitats, and the open ocean. With a wide selection to feed off of, as a whole the shark species feed on just about everything. Their diet consists o...
