When the teeth of this critter are shed, they are sometimes swallowed and digested. This is thought to aid in strengthening the skeleton with calcium (remember that all shark’s skeletons are made of cartilage ) – a process known as calcification. Having a fortified skeleton might be helpful for the deep diving this species does. The cookiecutter shark also has an oily liver that is larger compared the liver of similar sharks, which might also aid them in swimming to greater depths.