I heart Squalus acanthias

We did the shark lab at work this week. It was great, in that I love sharks and any opportunity to see one up close it a blessing. It was bad in that I wish all the sharks we dissected were alive and swimming free in the ocean. The fact that these sharks are born and raised in captivity for this purpose doesn't make me feel much better.

But, they gave their lives for us and we best make the most of it. So, here is a pregnant female (which you have to special-order, btw):

And a close-up of her anatomy, which I've labelled for the benefit of the non-ichthyophiles:

This particular female had 4 pups (aka shark babies) in each uterus:

And here's a close-up of one. Isn't it cute?

Next week we do fetal pigs. I probably won't put up any pictures of those.