Leopard Shark
What’s gray, brown and black all over?
A baby leopard shark living in the San Francisco Bay. Leopard sharks are small sharks named for the leopard-like brown spots covering their backs and sides. But the skin of these sharks is not always spotted like the big cats they are named after. The shark’s leopard-like spots are a camouflage adaptation that allows it to hide from predators in the sandy bottom of bays and the ocean. It is most important for vulnerable young sharks to hide from predators, so as it matures, a leopard shark may lose its spots and turn gray. Hiding from predators is essential to the leopard shark since it is hunted by great white sharks. In addition to its skin camouflage, a leopard shark hides from predators by seeking places to feed and live far from great whites.
(Chad King/MBNMS) |
 |
What’s safe for a leopard shark?
San Francisco Bay! The Bay is too shallow and warm for great whites, plus it has a muddy bottom. Leopard sharks love mud because most of their food lives buried in the benthos. They eat small invertebrates like clams, worms and crabs that they suck out of the mud. They also like small fish and the occasional bat ray, but they don’t like to attack humans. You have nothing to fear from a leopard shark!
Leopard sharks are also pretty small. Their average size is around three to four feet, although they can grow up to seven feet. The leopard sharks you are likely to find in San Francisco Bay will be around two to three feet. The leopard sharks in the Pacific Ocean are bigger, so they can brave the predators and strong currents of the sea. Leopard sharks are found along the West Coast, from Oregon to Baja California. Leopard sharks are fish, not mammals, but they have live young. The female leopard shark lays eggs inside her body and the shark pups are born when the eggs hatch inside of her. A leopard shark can give birth to a litter of four to 30 pups at a time!
Where can you find a leopard shark?
Try the sloughs of the Bay or kelp forests along the West Coast. Stay alert because these sharks are fast swimmers. Where you find one, you’re likely to find other sharks, like smoothound or dogfish because they travel in schools. Leopard sharks need your help. Don’t fish for them. Catching a leopard shark could be disastrous for the whole leopard shark community. Leopard sharks grow slowly, taking ten years to reach maturity. Therefore, overfishing can quickly deplete the population of this beautiful and sleek shark.
|
