Prickly dogfish (Oxynotus bruniensis). Look at this idiot.
Prickly dogfish are actually sharks, and we actually know very little about this species. Like, for instance, why their skin is so rough as to look furry. We do know these guys are one of the few sharks that give live birth! They’ve been found gestating up to seven pups at a time.
They live, somewhat appropriately, in the “Twilight Zone” (Mesopelagic Zone, 200-1000 meters below the surface) off the shores of Australia and New Zealand.
Rare giant clams in the Palmyra Atoll and Kingman Reef national wildlife refuge, part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument in the Pacific, south of Hawaii. Photograph: Reuters
Giant clams are often incredibly stunning and brightly colored – it’s sometimes hard to even recognize them as clams, since media often focuses more on the shape of the shell than the animal inside it. The next time you’re at an aquarium with a living coral tank, look closely! You might find a couple clams in among the other inhabitants.
