Oophagous sharks

[HappyFunBoater]

Egads. This little beasty showed up in my RSS feed today. I had never seen it before, and found it interesting. Perhaps you will also.

http://www.amonline.net.au/fishes/students/focus/oophag.htm

Apparently some of the baby sharks eat the other unfertilized shark eggs while still in momma's belly.

That's just nasty.

 

[CODMAN]

Actually, if you consider it on an individualistic basis, it's quite brilliant! What better way to guarantee your own survival than getting extra food while still inside, thus assuring you'll be bigger and stronger once you hit the very cruel world outside Mommas belly?

I saw a report showing this in tiger sharks also... And they were not discriminating between fertilised/unfertilised! The bigger were eating the smaller...

I understand that this is kinda brutal from a humans point of view... But from a strictly biological standpoint, it's very cool!:14:

Luego!

 

[dumpsterDiver]

sand tigers eat their siblings in the womb too