Some scientists estimate that basking shark gestation lasts up to 3.5 years. Frilled sharks may also carry their pups for more than three years. Some smaller species are at the other end of the spectrum. Bonnethead sharks, for example, give birth after around five months.
What animal stays pregnant the longest?
Elephant Gestation
At up to 23 months, elephants boast the longest gestation period of any land animal. They also boast big babies: a newborn elephant weighs about 230 pounds (105 kilograms).
How many babies do sharks have in a lifetime?
Sharks can have from 1 to 100 babies at a time, depending on the type of shark. The ones with pups that grow inside the mother have fewer babies at a time than sharks that lay eggs outside the body.
Do shark pups stay with their mothers?
Whale sharks and nurse sharks for example hatch inside their mother and then continue to feed off of a yolk sack that remains stuck to the tiny pup’s body. … Once viviparous pups are developed enough inside the womb, the mother gives birth and leaves them on their own.
Which animal gives birth only once in lifetime?
For some, of course, it’s normal to only have one or a couple offspring in a lifetime. But swamp wallabies, small hopping marsupials found throughout eastern Australia, are far outside the norm: New research suggests that most adult females are always pregnant.
What animal gets pregnant by itself?
Most animals that procreate through parthenogenesis are small invertebrates such as bees, wasps, ants, and aphids, which can alternate between sexual and asexual reproduction. Parthenogenesis has been observed in more than 80 vertebrate species, about half of which are fish or lizards.
What is the life cycle of sharks?
Their slow reproduction process makes white sharks vulnerable to extinction. Scientists classify white sharks into five different life stages: Pups, Young of the Year, Juveniles, Subadults and Adults.
What eats a shark?
As for shark predators, one thing that will eat a shark is another shark—with big sharks chowing down on littler ones. … But even the hugest sharks have to watch out for the orca, or killer whale. As you will see in the video, even the great white shark can fall prey to a hungry orca in search of a sushi meal.