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The pygmy shark has a large head and underslung jaw, strangely shaped caudal fin, and a very small first dorsal fin set far back on the body. They have no spines in front of the dorsal fins. The colour is black with a slightly paler belly and white borders to the fins. The lower body is luminescent, which is thought to help in disguising the fish's dark silhouette from upward-looking predators below.
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Pygmy sharks undertake vertical migrations from the lower levels of their depth range to the surface each night. They are following the deep-water crustaceans, squids, and bony fish, which also rise at the same time to feed on surface plankton in comparative safety.
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Reproduction is ovoviviparous, meaning that they produce eggs that develop inside the mother's body and hatch immediately after their release from the parent. A female pygmy shark produces about 8 young in a litter.
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