Cookie-cutter Shark 

Picture
Kingdom: Animalia 
Phylum: Chordata 
Class: Chondrichthyes 
Subclass :Elasmobranchi 
Order :Squaliformes 
Family :Dalatiidae
 Genus: Isistius
Species:I. brasiliensis

Biology

It uses its circular mouth to bite into bigger prey. They leave "cookie" shaped chunks in animals such as whales, dolphins, bony fish, sharks, and some cases of humans. Their photophores is on the ventral surface so that they look like a tiny fish from below. When bigger fish come towards it, they get an unexpected from the shark.

Fun Facts

  • They have these tiny light producing organs called photophores, which will glow with lights for hours after death. 
  • The eggs are hatched inside the mother and the pups come out of the mother.
  • They replace their lower teeth in one time, and they sometimes swallow the teeth to conserve calcium.
  • During gestation, the pups try to eat each other out to see who is the best of the bunch.
  • There have been cases of which these sharks have tried to take bites out of submarines.
Morphology: The Cookie-Cutter Shark has bilateral, cigar shaped body. It has a a circular mouth with rows of teeth. Which is why its called cookie-cuter. Behind its snout, it has green oval eyes. It can grow up to a tiny size of 20 inches. All the fins are close to the body, & the largest fin, the caudal fin, helps lifts the small Chondrichthye. Its skin is dark on the top where the dorsal fin is, & gets lighter towards the belly. 

Distribution Map

Ecological & Economical
Importance: 
The cookie cutter shark are not on the extinction list   These sharks play a crucial part of the ocean. They get rid of the nuisance and diseased fish. However, they have a negative effect for fisherman. They prey on economic important fish,but the damage is slight. 

Vocabulary 

Dorsal Fin- it is the large fin on the back of the shark.

Ventral Surface- The stomach side.

Pups- baby sharks.
Gestation- the period of time when the baby sharks are in their mother's stomach.
Submarines- a watercraft capable of independent operations underwater. 

Sources

Shedd Aquarium 
Wikipedia 
Animal Diversity