sharkblogging - Tumblr blog

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Photos by Ernst Stewart.

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Tiger Directly Overhead by Cameron Azad on Flickr.

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Infanta Dec09 (3) by jtresfon

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whitetip shark by adamzubairi

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(via MARCH - Tim Doyle, “The Sea Also Rises: The Fleet Deploys” | PangeaSeed)

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CSH 05736.jpg by michaelnikolaev1

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Whale Shark (9958) by PaoloLora

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Thresher shark by a.j.mck

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Similan Islands (84) by Jannik Pedersen

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Batsata Maze 0710 (81) by Geoff Spiby

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Emma’s lived her life as a model, but has always wanted to be the one behind the camera!

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hammerheads 2887 by John Akar

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Shark of The Week: Leopard

We’ll be talking about quite the looker today! Triakis semifasciata, the leopard shark. This shark is known for its very distinctive and beautiful pattern. As its name would suggest this shark has a spotted coloration that vaguely resembles a leopard’s, as it sports large saddle shaped black markings over its back and sides. Other notable features about this shark are the size of it’s secondary dorsal fin, which is nearly as big as its primary one. The shape of its snout is also notable as it is more blunt that many sharks, almost being slightly squared.

As far as size the leopard shark is on the small side with a maximum length just under 5ft. Their range is rather limited, consisting only of the western coast of North America. They are most often found swimming close to the sea floor and are known to favor muddy or sandy flats. Enclosed bay areas, estuaries, kelp beds, and rock reefs are also favorite spots for this shark. The Leopard shark is most frequently seen in shallow waters of only 20ft but can be found in water as deep as 300ft. These sharks can often be seen following the tidal flow into mudflats to search for food. Unlike some sharks that migrate large distances the leopard shark seems to stay in the same are for most of its life.

The reproductive habits of this shark are very well documented. Several mating spots along the coast include the San Francisco Bay, San Diego Bay, Humboldt Bay, and Santa Monica Bay. The leopard shark is ovoviviparous and produces large litters ranging from 4-33 pups. Mating occurs in the early summer months with roughly a 10-12 moth gestation period. The pups are born in very shallow water in April through May. Pups are very small at birth being only around 8in in length.

Leopard sharks pose no danger to humans as they are shy and scare off easily. There has only ever been one recorded “attack” by a leopard shark. It was in 1955 and no bite wounds were reported, it seems that the shark was simply harassing a diver. The larges threat these shark pose to humans is to fisherman as they contain high levels of mercury and are not fit for consumption.

It should also be noted that the “leopard shark” common name is sometimes used to refer to the zebra shark. However, this is incorrect. They are to completely separate species that should not be confused.

(Triakis semifasciata, the leopard shark)

(Stegostoma fasciatum, the zebra shark)

That’s all for this weeks Shark of the Week! Hope you enjoyed and found it educational! Please re-blog to share the knowledge.

Previous Shark of The Week: Basking shark

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RDP_01a_Fiji Shark Dive_A_087_web by blunomad

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i think im going to set up a queue for two posts a day, so hopefully posting will be more consistent!!

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Hammerhead shark eats out of diver’s hand by Cater News Agency.

"Diver Eli Martinez aims to change negative views about sharks by interacting with them in waters off Bahamas, where hammerhead sharks enjoy protection."

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Tiger Shark at Tiger Beach by Macdaza