 The shark is believed to use these photophores to match ambient light conditions, which break up its silhouette and help the shark to avoid being seen by predators below.Usually inhabiting nutrient-rich waters over upper continental and insular slopes, the spined pygmy shark feeds on small bony fishes and squid.Like its prey, it is a diel vertical migrator, spending the day at close to deep and moving towards a depth of at night.