Roman Fedortsov shared a bizarre video pulling a mermaid's purse out of a dead skate. Theleathery pouch is produced by some members of the Chondrichthyes, including sharks, chimeras, skates, and rays.
The term mermaid's purse is believed to come from legends by sailors who thought it would make a great mermaid accessory. Continue reading to know what this means to the skate and other Chondrichthyes
Fisherman Pulled Mermaids' Purse Out of Dead Skate: What is This Leathery Pouch?
Mermaid's Purse Pulled Out From A Skate
Fedortsov, the Russian fisherman, 39, works on commercial trawlers searching for cod, haddock, and mackerel in the Norwegian and Barents Sea, and sometimes in the Arctic Ocean. He has become an internet sensation for sharing photos and videos of bizarre sea creatures he found in the deep sea.
Just recently, he shared a video via Instagram of a dead skate lying flat on a table. In the clip, he pulled something out from the skate, which he called a mermaid's purse.
He asked his followers if they had ever found a mermaid's purse among the seaweed on the beach and explained that these leathery pockets hold very different kinds of treasures of nature.
Skates are cousins of stingrays. However, unlike stingrays that give birth to live young or pups, skates lay eggs in a tough protective casing called a mermaid's purse, devil's purse or egg cases just like catsharks.
Mermaid's purse or an egg sac was believed to be purses or bags for the treasures of mermaids. However, it has another purpose; it is a protective case that holds baby sharks and skates.
Many people in the comment section were amazed by the video and they found it bizarre because it was the first time they saw a mermaid's case. Some are worried that the fisherman might have caused the death of the skate. However, another commenter noted that, as with many of the sea creatures he shared online, the skate was already dead when Fedortsov found it.
What are Mermaid's Purses?
Most fish reproduce by releasing their eggs and sperm into the ocean and leaving the survival of their offspring to chance. But not the Chondrichthyes species.
According to Shark Research Institute, these species give their young far better odds at survival because they practice internal fertilization that allows their offspring to develop in eggs while inside the mother's body. Although some species may be born as miniature adults, other females produce egg cases and leave them on the seabed.
These egg cases or mermaid's purses mostly look like pillows with hooks and tendrils attached to seaweed or underwater debris or tucked inside a crevice. They are initially laid by adult females in suitable habitats on the seafloor, where they develop for 15 months.
The baby shark or skates then hatches out of the egg sac and swims away, leaving the purses. That is why most of the mermaid's purses found off the shore are empty.
Sightings of egg sacs on beaches can help marine biologists map nursery areas for shark and ray species, especially those endangered ones, according to Marine Dimensions. Experts encourage the public to report any sightings as it could make a difference for vulnerable species to gather information necessary for their conservation.
Watch the video below of Lesser Spotted Dogfish embryos developing inside their egg sacs.
RELATED ARTICLE: Bizarre Dragon-Like Fish Pulled From the Depths of the Norwegian Sea Identified
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