Sharks pups survive on 'super livers'
While using the liver as an energy store and for buoyancy is well documented in adult sharks, this study provides the first evidence of a decline in liver mass of newborn sharks, from 20% of body weight at birth to 6% when they start to feed themselves.
Research by a Bangor University-led international team found that during the critical period after birth, shark pups lose weight by consuming their liver reserves. This weight loss is not necessarily an indicaton that the sharks are in a poor nutritional state, as has been previously thought.
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