The result is a cookie-cutter shaped hole in the whale which eventually heals over time. They feed by latching on to whales and other large animals and scooping out a circular chunk of skin and blubber. Some feed on the flesh of living whalesĬookie-cutter sharks live in tropical and temperate open ocean waters. New Zealand coastal orca use this to their advantage when hunting sharks and rays (who also have tonic immobility). Sharks, if flipped upside down, go into a trance-like state similar to that of being hypnotised. The sensors, known as ampullae of Lorenzini are small pores on the snout and other areas of the body. Sharks use their ability to detect electrical currents to pick up on the small movements made by their prey. This means that instead of bones, their skeleton is made up of cartilage (what your ears are made of).

Sharks are a type of fish known as elasmobranchs. There are even reports of these sharks in the Summer of the Northern North Island. Just like the large whales, the whale shark also feeds on the smallest creatures in the ocean – plankton! It can be found in the open waters of tropical and sub-temperate oceans. The largest shark is the whale shark which can grow up to 9m (some have been recorded at over 12m). Not much is known about this species as so far it has only been found in 200-400m of water off the coasts of Colombia and Venezuela. The dwarf lantern shark is thought to be the smallest species, growing up to approximately 20 cm in length.

Dwarf lantern fish