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Story: Sharks and rays

Jaws of a cookie-cutter shark

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Jaws of a cookie-cutter shark

The cookie-cutter shark is named for the way it cuts a wound in whales, dolphins, seals and large fish. It grips the sides of its prey with fierce jaws and gouges out a circular, cookie-shaped piece of flesh. In this photograph, new teeth along the lower jaw are ready to replace the existing ones before they wear out. Other sharks also have this feature.

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Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

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How to cite this page

Gerard Hutching, Sharks and rays – Deep-sea and unusual sharks, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/5321/jaws-of-a-cookie-cutter-shark (accessed 10 June 2026).

Story by Gerard Hutching, published 2 March 2009.