 The bignose shark feeds mainly on bottom @-@ dwelling bony fishes ( including lizardfishes , croakers , flatfishes , and batfishes ) , cartilaginous fishes ( including Squalus dogfishes , Holohalaelurus catsharks , Dasyatis stingrays , and chimaeras ) , and cephalopods . In turn , juveniles may potentially fall prey to larger sharks . Like other requiem sharks , this species is viviparous : when the developing embryos exhaust their supply of yolk , the depleted yolk sac is converted into a placental connection through which the mother delivers nourishment . Females bear litters of three to 15 pups , with seven being typical , following a gestation period of approximately 10 months . A single litter may be sired by two or more males . Birthing has been reported to occur in August and September in the Mediterranean , and in September and October off Madagascar . The newborns measure 70 – 90 cm ( 28 – 35 in ) long . Males and females mature sexually at around 2 @.@ 2 and 2 @.@ 3 m ( 7 @.@ 2 and 7 @.@ 5 ft ) long , respectively . The average age of reproductively active individuals is 21 years . 
