Ghost sharks store sperm of males for gradual use

Female ghost sharks have special parts in the body to store male sperm for subsequent fertilization.

Brit Finucci, a doctoral student at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand in a new study published in the journal Fish Biology, said that some female sharks are capable of storing male sperm on the reproductive organs to serving for the following fertilization, National Geographic today reported.

Scientists focus on the different stages of development of two black and brown ghost sharks that are often found off the coast of New Zealand. Like most sharks, female ghost sharks have two uterus, two ovaries and two fallopian tubes.

Ghost sharks exist on Earth before dinosaurs.(Photo: MBARI).

The reproductive organs located on the head of the male have hooks, which can be attached to the female's fins while the other two hook-shaped organs around the pelvis are used for mating. Because of this structure of males, Finucci thinks mating "does not seem to have a pleasant experience with children".

Phantom sharks store sperm in many small tubes on the ovary. This sperm storage area of ​​brown female ghost sharks has the same structure as the other two ghost sharks."It is possible that these fish breeds after birth will use stored sperm to continue fertilizing eggs , " Finucci said.

This ability is especially important in a deep ocean environment where food and partners can become scarce. Finucci believes that this ability is common in ghost sharks. Sperm storage can take more than three years as in bamboo sharks.

Ghost sharks are also called chimaera , have long fins and are blind. Although ghost sharks have distant relatives with sharks and rays, the scientific community still knows very little about this creature.