**Dupligroups**

[![enter image description here][1]][1]

[![enter image description here][2]][2]

[![enter image description here][3]][3]

The thorn has its parent as indicated by outliner windows and properties window.
The duplication mesh has duplication indicated by Duplication Panel.  Faces and Scale.  Your mesh is the Shark.  The mesh in picture happens to be a stem or tentacle.  The Scale selection uniformly scales the thorn to the size of the face which may be of interest to you.



**Particle Systems**

[![enter image description here][4]][4]

All particles are emitted by frame 0.  Gravity is 0.

[![enter image description here][5]][5]

Image above.  The Particle System uses the Cone as the duplicated mesh.

[![enter image description here][6]][6]

Image above.  Two different meshes with different colors.  They are placed in a Blender Group. Keystroke Control-G.  You can be much more artistic than these explanatory examples.  This allows multiple models.

[![enter image description here][7]][7]

Image above.  You can use the modifier panel to convert particles into ordinary meshes, which can be custom edited.

 - Displacement Modifier


 - You may also see http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/44901/tapering-a-tentacle-mesh-with-uniformly-scaled-suction-discs/44928#44928


  [1]: https://i.sstatic.net/p7HUz.png
  [2]: https://i.sstatic.net/Qyzm9.png
  [3]: https://i.sstatic.net/beDIn.png
  [4]: https://i.sstatic.net/igqsn.png
  [5]: https://i.sstatic.net/lzgrN.png
  [6]: https://i.sstatic.net/t2lTu.png
  [7]: https://i.sstatic.net/yevlu.png