Females lay spiral egg cases, which they wedge into crevices. The eggcases of species such as the Small-eyed Ray and Cuckoo Ray have long and delicate horns so may not survive the surf intact. The horn shark feeds on seafloor invertebrates, especially sea urchins and crabs, and occasionally on small fishes. Once they harden, the egg cases turn from amber to chocolate brown and are difficult for most predators to remove. The egg cases of Port Jackson Sharks look similar but lack tendrils. This makes the egg cases stay put. Females often deposit the auger-shaped egg cases under rocks or in crevices between them. Elasmobranch egg cases, sometimes called “mermaid’s purses,” vary widely in size, shape, and color, and the ridges on the horn shark egg case help wedge it between rocks. They are made of collagen protein strands. 8 Comments I am not an expert in these matters...please view photos carefully before purchasing. Similar Eggcase: Similar size and shape to the Smallspotted Catshark, but it has small upper horns instead of curled tendrils. Photograph … It is very clean with minimal white speckle deposits. The shape and size of the purse varies from shark to shark. Oviparity is completely absent in the superorder Squalomorphii. ; Short Horns - If the horns have snapped they'll look a lot shorter than they should. Horn Shark egg case. Heterodontus francisci. Horn Shark egg case. Each egg case contains one pup, which takes between six and nine months to hatch. This is the first one I've ever seen, although I had read about them. (Internal #S-800-12). This is a Gorgeous specimen for the Collector. An egg case or egg capsule is the casing that surrounds the eggs of oviparous sharks, skates and chimaeras.Egg cases typically contain one embryo, except for big skate and mottled skate egg cases, which contain up to 7 embryos. It has a Lovely Khaki colouring and appears to be a relatively fresh specimen. Fun to find. Species ID Suggestions Sign in to suggest organism ID. This is a genuine Horn shark egg case or casing ( Heterodontus francisci). Beach found...Port Jackson Shark Egg Case...approximately 5 inches in length. Danger to humans. Size: Maximum Eggcase Length: ~5cm (ranges from 3–7cm) Maximum Eggcase Width (with keels): ~2cm Range: This deeper water species is present in the Eastern Atlantic from Norway to Senegal, including the Mediterranean. Because they are lightweight, they are commonly washed up by the sea, often found at the strandline, the farthest point of the high tide. Some species have egg cases with long, horn-like appendages on each side, and these are sometimes called "devil's purses." The horn shark (Heterodontus francisci)'s spiral-shaped egg (pictured) allows the mother shark to screw the egg case into hard crevices for safekeeping. In the wild, Horn Shark egg cases are laid between February to April. 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