I feel like I'm sailing

I've come to love Catsharks. I've always loved them since I visited the Blue Planet Acquarium in Ellesmere Port literally over two decades ago with my bio-dad's family. You were able to pet them and the skates and rays in the rock pools (which you can't now bc covid) and the fish loved it. This year, I got to go back for my niece's birthday present, and was able to see the Catsharks again for the first time in years.

Catsharks are what most people know as Dogfish. I'd actually always known them as Dogfish myself until I looked them up out of curiosity recently and discovered their delightful name. They also, just so you know, roll up into a donught shape when threatened. It's a ball of fluff shark style!

They have this lovely spotted patterning and the normal countershading all sharks have (light on bottom, patterned/darker on top) and in the case of Catsharks, the spotted pattern helps them blend in on the seabed in rockpools and coastal waters.

Catsharks are one of the shark species that can remain stationary under water and still breathe. Most shark species require constant locomotion in order to breathe, since they draw oxygen from the water through their gills. Catsharks and some carpet shark species can gulp water in a way that allows them to flush water through their gills so they don't suffocate. I saw this in person after the largest Catshark in the tank at Blue Planet spat at me in protest because I wasn't petting it and then went to sulk at the bottom of the tank. You can see the gulping technique in the gif below (from the video I took of the grumpy Catshark I wasn't allowed to pet)

Catsharks also have different personalities! They have been found to exhibit different behaviours among groups that have been significant enough to indicate a different personality to one another. So the Catshark I didn't pet who then spat water at me (a thing they can do by the way) and then went and sulked, likely did that because it wanted attention and was denied. That's such a cat thing to do I love it.

This Catshark was very curious about everyone around the tank, swimming around a lot and coming up to the edge of the tank close to people and their curious fingers. It's in the middle of this section of the tank, with its snout and eyes above the surface of the water to look around at all the potential sources of pets. Of course, no one was allowed to touch them (though it didn't stop some people from ignoring the signs :/).

Honestly, I kinda love Catsharks.

They're also known as Dogfish and Gato but "Catshark" is just a cute name for a smol sharkie.

I especially like the Small Spotted Catshark, aka, the Morgay (in Scotland and Cornwall) or the Sandy Dogfish. This is entirely because one of them spat water at me at the Blue Planet when I went with my niece for her birthday because I wasn't allowed to pet it.

Damn you COVID, you ruined the dream of a Catfish to get cuddles from me. Curses!

Lesser/Small Spotted Catsharks can grow pretty big, reaching 3.3ft and can weight more than 2 kilos, but they're also just adorable and I don't care if one could make breathing difficult or not, I just don't. I wanna cuddle one. All of them, actually.

What I LOVE most of all is that a study from 2014 by Exeter University literally showed that Small Spotted Catsharks have different personalities. So the one who spat at me at the Blue Planet and then went to the bottom of the rock pool and breathed water went for a nap because it didn't get cuddles.

How am I meant to handle this information without flailing and going back to beg forgiveness of this baby, hmm? I'M NOT, THAT'S THE ANSWER.

I mean, look at that face. How can you not wanna cuddle it and whisper apologies for not letting it eat you because you're not actually on its menu? Hmm. How?

Send me asks about stuff! And drop a tip if you like my chaos knowledge.

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Shark reproduction is actually pretty slow tbh. They take YEARS to reach maturity and don't often have a large amount of actual offspring despite some sharks having 130+ pups because they don't all survive. Sharks are still other predators meals when they're young and since it takes so long to mature, the reproduction rates of sharks is pretty abysmal.

In regards to how often sharks tend to reproduce, the average is around once every 3 years once a shark reaches maturity (which can be well over a decade from their own birth, mind, some even take two decades or more). Not all attempts are successful and depend greatly on the type of shark species. Some shark species utilise multiple matings (one female, many partners) to increase success rates of actually producing offspring, others don't.

For how long a shark pregnancy can last, that too depends on the shark species. Generally, it's between 9 months and 2 years.

And of course, there's different types of reproduction methods that shark species utilise too. Which are:

Oviparity aka the shark lays the eggs which have a hard case to protect them. These are what tend to be called "mermaid purses" btw. Around a third of shark species are oviparous (lay eggs).

Viviparity aka what we consider regular pregnancy of carrying offspring in the womb for the gestation period and giving live birth. Again, around a third of shark species are viviaparous (spit them babies out).

Ovoviviparity aka a mix up of the other two methods. Shark produce the eggs but don't lay them outside the womb. They hatch inside, develop a bit longer, then live birth happens.

So, with all of that, the shark with the shortest reproduction time is actually the same as the shark with the shortest gestation period. I'm genuinely surprised.

So in answer to your question:

The Blue Shark!!!

[Image source: wikipedia]

Aroace pride shark 🧡

pride month may be over but I‘ll continue drawing some more pride sharks :D

Remus is a man of many talents!

This was originally for @darksideweeks with the prompt "Split" but I missed the event week. Though I say it really stands on its own!

✧Commission Sheet✧

I do not permit re-uploading or reposting my art, do NOT use my art for AI training.

Image ID under cut.

I am going to do a best abusive ship tournament. it will be held on this blog tagged #bestabusiveship and tagged per round. right now I will be collecting entries.

you're free to explain why the ship should win / propaganda (but unnecessary) which I will include under a readmore and a picture you'd prefer use, though I may edit especially if there are multiple entries, and indicate if you want to be anonymous or not if I quote you. obviously due to the nature of this, expect potentially triggering content under the readmore. since I don't have anon on, do know if you indicate you want an entry private I will not publish it nor quote you and will keep it anonymous, but just make sure to say such.

you can comment, add with reblog, or send it here (my ask box).