#Cookie cutter shark Patch#

They feed on the flesh of other species causing them harm but not death and it is not dependent on these species for survival.Ī dark patch on the ventral surface of the Cookie-Cutter Shark resembles a smaller fish when viewed from below and is thought to lure larger fish & marine mammals that may be swimming beneath it. This shark also feeds on larger pelagic animals such as Wahoo, Tuna, Billfishes and marine mammals. The primary prey of the Cookie-Cutter Shark are squid, small fish and crustaceans. They appear to blend with the light from above when viewed from below due to the shark’s ventral photophores that disguise the shark’s outline. They have been found in depths up to 3,500 meters. They inhabit deep waters below 1,000 meters during the day and migrate into surface waters at night at around 300 meters. Cookie-Cutter Sharks live in the warm, deep waters of equatorial oceans primarily in coastal waters near islands. This glow is reported to last as long as 3 hours after the shark’s death. The entire ventral surface with the exception of their dark collar is covered in a dense network of tiny photophores which emit a greenish glow ( bioluminescence ). They are dark brown to black on their dorsal (upper) side, lighter ventrally (below) and possess a dark collar around their gill regions. They have conical snouts and 2 low spineless dorsal fins positioned at the posterior (rear) end of their bodies.

Cookie-Cutters have cylindrical bodies that reach up to 50 centimeters in length. Cookie-Cutter Sharks are small, deep-water sharks named for the cookie-shaped wounds they leave on larger fish and marine mammals.

#Cookie cutter shark Patch#