Some sharks lay eggs, while others give birth to live young, after eggs hatch within their bodies. In either case, newborn sharks receive little or no parental care. To give their offspring a better fighting chance, sharks produce a small number of eggs and embryos (usually less than 100) – compared to the hundreds or thousands of eggs produced by bony fish. Shark embryos are protected by tough egg cases that are deposited somewhere safe, or by hatching inside their mothers’ bodies and remaining there until birth.
In comparison, whales are lucky to get so much attention from their mothers. They are cared for after birth like all mammals. They are fed milk: in fact, the ability of females to produce milk from mammary glands is one of the defining features of mammals.
Now that you’ve started to learn more about sharks, we know, you’re completely hooked! Luckily, you’ve come to the right place. Here at sharksider, we’ll be happy to tell you all you want to know about these fascinating creatures, so please keep reading