Lesser spotted dogfish are small bottom sharks and are harmless for man. Sometimes you find the empty olive-colored egg cases along the flood mark on the beach. These egg cases are also called mermaid's purses. You can usually see a tear where the young shark left the egg. The tips of the cases were once attached to a stone, shipwreck or maybe even seaweed. It is very unusual to find a case that still contains life. That is easy to check, since the egg capsule is transparent.