Dogfish denticles

Question 1

Dermal denticles (tooth-like structures) protect sharks from … and … as well as increasing their …. They have also been shown to aid in the exit from the … … in … sharks

Answer 1

predators, ectoparasites, hydrodynamics (minimise swim-induced drag), egg case, oviparous

Question 2

Species?

Answer 2

Lesser spotted dogfish (3-7 month old)

Question 3

These dogfish also use this body armour to…

Answer 3

anchor food items near their tail so that bite-size pieces can be torn away by rapid jaw and head movements

Question 4

It is called …-… behaviour and suggests a new role for … in the feeding ecology of sharks

Answer 4

scale-rasping, skin

Question 5

Scale-rasping may be important ecologically because it could function to increase the dietary … and … … fro juveniles

Answer 5

breadth, growth potential

Question 6

The length of the denticles increases …

Answer 6

caudally - suggests have evolved to be longer towards the tail to aid in this scale-rasping behaviour