Category: Fish
This species of shark can be found in temperate and sub-tropical ocean waters worldwide. They inhabit the continental shelf, their habitat ranges sandy shorelines to submerged reefs at depths of around 625 feet. It is a relative of the white shark and looks fearsome but it is actually a relatively placid, slow-moving shark with no recorded human fatalities. It is unique among sharks in that it can gulp air, which allows it to maintain its position in the water column with little effort. During pregnancy, the most developed embryos will feed on its siblings, a strategy known as “intrauterine cannibalism.”
ABC. It’s easy as Protandry
The largest, most aggressive female anemonefish rules the roost - she is the dominant member of the social group, and with one breeding male, the only one who reproduces. In anemonefish society, everybody knows where they stand in the hierarchy! So when she leaves the group, everybody moves up one spot - including the largest, most aggressive male, who undergoes a sex change to become the leader (and breeding female) of the group. While undergoing a sex change might sound drastic to humans, it is actually not all that uncommon in other species. Many do it, either naturally or due to environmental factors: fish, invertebrates, amphibians, some reptiles, even the occasional chicken!
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