Shark Mentality

Some shark species, such as the sand tiger shark, cannibalize their siblings while still in their mother's womb. This phenomenon is known as intrauterine cannibalism. Sand tiger sharks have two uteri and produce many eggs, but each litter yields just two pups—one from each uterus. As the shark embryos develop their teeth, they begin to eat the other embryos, killing their unborn siblings, as well as the unfertilized eggs.

This grim survival mechanism is a part of a struggle for paternity in utero, where babies of different fathers compete to be born. The largest embryo consumes all but one of its siblings, ensuring that only the strongest offspring are born. This strategy allows sand tiger sharks to give birth to much larger babies than other shark species, making the newborns relatively safe from other predators.

Editor's note: F... sharks :D

Citations :

  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KljnVxu4q-k
  2. https://www.livescience.com/29198-shark-embryos-cannibalize-others.html#:~:text=Shark%20embryos%20cannibalize%20their%20littermates,fathers%20compete%20to%20be%20born.
  3. https://www.livescience.com/29198-shark-embryos-cannibalize-others.html
  4. https://theconversation.com/giant-ancient-sharks-had-enormous-babies-that-ate-their-siblings-in-the-womb-152903#:~:text=Eating%20their%20siblings,-It%20is%20very&text=The%20hatched%20embryos%20begin%20to,survival%20mechanism%20is%20not%20unique.
  5. https://theconversation.com/giant-ancient-sharks-had-enormous-babies-that-ate-their-siblings-in-the-womb-152903
  6. https://animals.howstuffworks.com/fish/sharks/shark-pup2.htm
  7. https://animals.howstuffworks.com/fish/sharks/shark-pup2.htm#:~:text=Although%20the%20sand%20tiger%20shark,well%20as%20the%20unfertilized%20eggs.
  8. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/all/why-shark-embryos-gobble-each-other-utero-flna6c9703111#:~:text=Shark%20embryos%20cannibalize%20their%20littermates,fathers%20compete%20to%20be%20born.
  9. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/baby-sand-tiger-sharks-devour-their-siblings-while-still-in-the-womb-46192985/