Life Cycle
Average life span of a shark: Less than 25 years
Longest living shark species: Spiny dogfish, 70-100 years
Birth: Sharks give birth to their young in one of three different ways:
- Some sharks lay egg cases with developing embryos inside. These sharks are called oviparous (born from an egg).
- Other sharks carry young internally that are nourished by a placenta. They are deemed viviparous (born live).
- Finally, some sharks bear young that develop internally but without attachment to the mother, some within egg cases. These sharks are ovoviparous (born live from an egg).
Gestation period: From nine months to as long as two years