Facts about Bluntnose Sixgill Shark
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A comb-like lower jaw with six broad, cusped teeth on each side gives the bluntnose sixgill shark a distinctive feeding apparatus unlike most modern sharks.
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Stomach contents from captured specimens reveal that bluntnose sixgill sharks feed on a diverse diet including fish, rays, other sharks, and marine mammals as deep-sea opportunistic hunters.
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Hexanchus griseus exhibits a notably slow metabolic rate that allows it to survive extended periods without feeding, sometimes going months between meals in the deep ocean.
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The bluntnose sixgill shark's liver comprises up to 25 percent of its body weight, providing buoyancy for deep-sea existence and energy reserves for its slow metabolism.
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Bluntnose sixgill sharks possess six gill slits instead of the five found in most modern shark species, retaining this primitive characteristic from their ancient ancestors.
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Around 200 million years have passed since the bluntnose sixgill shark's lineage first emerged, making it a living relic from the Jurassic period.
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Female bluntnose sixgill sharks are ovoviviparous, gestating 4 to 108 pups internally before live birth in litters averaging around 50 offspring.
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Living bluntnose sixgill sharks can reach lengths of 18 feet, making them substantially larger than most modern shark species.
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Depths exceeding 2,000 meters are inhabited by the bluntnose sixgill shark, making it one of the ocean's deepest-dwelling large predators.