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The home of daily sharks! stay shark posting

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Daily shark day 12:

(The return of daily sharks??)

The Thesher Shark!

Todays shark is the Thresher shark, which are large mackerel sharks of the family Alopiidae and can be found in all temperate and tropical oceans of the world; the family contains three extant species, all within the genus Alopias.

All three thresher shark species have been listed as vulnerable by the World Conservation Union since 2007, their conservancy status is in part do to their popularity as big game sport fish, and additionally they are hunted commercially  for their meat, liver (for shark liver oil), skin (for shagreen) and fins (for use in dishes like as shark fin soup).

Thresher sharks are solitary creatures that keep to themselves. It is known that thresher populations of the Indian Ocean are separated by depth and space according to sex. Some species however do occasionally hunt in a group of two or three, contrary to their solitary nature. All species are noted for their highly migratory (or oceanodromous) habits. When hunting schooling fish, thresher sharks are known to "whip" the water. Their elongated tail is used to swat smaller fish, stunning them before feeding. Thresher sharks are one of the few shark species known to jump fully out of the water, using their elongated tail to propel them out of the water, making turns like dolphins; this behavior is known as breaching.

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Special Mediterranean Shark!

Daily shark day 11:

Spinner shark!

The spinner shark is a fascinating type of shark known for its acrobatic feeding behavior. It belongs to the requiem shark family and can be found in warm waters around the world, except in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Unlike some other sharks, spinner sharks prefer shallow water habitats and can be found both near the coast and further offshore, usually at depths of up to 100 meters (330 feet).

In appearance, the spinner shark looks similar to a larger version of the blacktip shark. It has a slender body, a long snout, and fins with black markings. However, there are a couple of distinguishing features. The first dorsal fin of the spinner shark has a different shape and is placed further back compared to the blacktip shark. Additionally, adult spinner sharks have a black tip on their anal fin.

Spinner sharks can grow up to a maximum length of 3 meters (9.8 feet). They are known for their speed and sociable nature. They are opportunistic predators, feeding on a variety of small bony fishes and cephalopods. When hunting schools of forage fish, they exhibit an impressive feeding strategy. They swim vertically through the school while spinning on their axis and burst out of the water at the end.

Reproduction in spinner sharks is viviparous, which means the females give birth to live young. They typically have litters of three to twenty pups every other year. The newborn sharks are born in shallow nursery areas close to the coast and grow relatively quickly.

Although spinner sharks are not generally considered dangerous to humans, they can become aggressive if provoked or excited by the presence of food. They are highly valued by commercial fisheries for their meat, fins, liver oil, and skin. Additionally, recreational fishers appreciate spinner sharks for their strength and challenging fights.

Unfortunately, the spinner shark population is facing threats, leading to its near-threatened status worldwide according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

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Special greek shark!!

I'm in Greece right now so for the next couple days I will only cover sharks that can be found around the Mediterranean sea!

Daily shark day 10:

Angel Shark

Squatina squatina, the angelshark or monkfish, is a species of shark in the family Squatinidae (known generally also as angel sharks), that were once widespread in the coastal waters of the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. Well-adapted for camouflaging itself on the sea floor, the angelshark has a flattened form with enlarged pectoral and pelvic fins, giving it a superficial resemblance to a ray. This species can be identified by its broad and stout body, conical barbels, thornless back (in larger individuals), and grayish or brownish dorsal coloration with a pattern of numerous small light and dark markings (that is more vivid in juveniles). It measures up to 2.4 m (7.9 ft) long. Like other members of its family, the angelshark is a nocturnal ambush predator that buries itself in sediment and waits for passing prey, mostly benthic bony fishes, but also skates and invertebrates. An aplacental viviparous species, females bear litters of seven to 25 pups every other year. The angelshark normally poses little danger to humans, though if provoked, it is quick to bite. Since the mid-20th century, intense commercial fishing across the angelshark's range has decimated its population via bycatch – it is now locally extinct or nearly so across most of its northern range, and the prospects of the remaining fragmented subpopulations are made more precarious by its slow rate of reproduction. As a result, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed this species as Critically Endangered.

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Daily shark day 9:

Ornate Wobblegong

The ornate wobbegong (Orectolobus ornatus) is a species of carpet shark that lives in Australia and possibly other countries in the Western Pacific Ocean. It is coloured golden brown, yellow-green and blueish-grey, and it grows to maximum 120 centimetres (3.9 ft). Described by Charles Walter De Vis in 1883, it is similar in appearance to other Australian wobbegongs and has previously been classified as the same species as the Gulf wobbegong. It is a nocturnal species, hunting at night, and it can bite humans when disturbed. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed it as a least-concern species.

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Daily shark day 8:

Taiwan Spurdog

The Taiwan spurdog (Squalus formosus) is a species of shark in the genus Squalus. It was accidentally found in Taiwan's Tashi fish market by William Toby White and a colleague of the CSIRO in Hobart, Australia. They named it S. formosus ("Formosa" being a former name for Taiwan). It has also be recorded from the coast of Japan, near Kyushu and Shikoku. Sharks now identified as Squalus formosus had earlier been classified as Squalus blainville, a species that is no longer considered to occur in Taiwan. Squalus formosus can be morphologically separated from other three Squalus species found in Taiwanese waters (which are S. brevirostris, S. japonicus and S. mitsukurii); it is morphologically more similar to Squalus albifrons from eastern Australia than the other Taiwanese species. Similarly, genetic methods identify S. albifrons as the closest relative of S. formosus.

It is a medium-sized species of Squalus that can reach at least 81 cm (32 in)

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Daily shark 7:

Starry Catshark

The starry catshark is a species of fish in the family Scyliorhinidae found in New Caledonia. Catsharks of this genus have a slim body and variegated colour pattern, narrow snout, long labial furrows, equal-size dorsal fins, and small anal fin (smaller than the dorsal fins).

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Daily shark day 6:

The Taillight Shark

The taillight shark is a little-known species of shark in the family Dalatiidae and the only member of its genus. It is known from only four specimens collected from deep oceanic waters in the southern Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean. A small shark with a laterally compressed body and a bulbous snout, this species has unusual adaptations that indicate a specialized lifestyle: its pectoral fins are paddle-like and may be used for propulsion, unlike other sharks and it has a pouch-like gland on its abdomen that emits clouds of luminescent blue fluid. This shark is likely aplacental viviparous and a formidable predator for its size.

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Daily shark day 5:

Shortfin Mako Shark

The shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus), also known as the blue pointer or bonito shark, is a large mackerel shark. It is commonly referred to as the mako shark, as is the longfin mako shark (Isurus paucus). The shortfin mako can reach a size of 4 m (13 ft) in length and weigh 570 kg (1,260 lb). The species is classified as Endangered

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Shark of the day 4:

Black Tip Reef Shark

The blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) is a species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae, which can be easily identified by the prominent black tips on its fins (especially on the first dorsal fin and its caudal fin). Among the most abundant sharks inhabiting the tropical coral reefs of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, this species prefers shallow, inshore waters. Its exposed first dorsal fin is a common sight in the region. The blacktip reef shark is usually found over reef ledges and sandy flats, though it has also been known to enter brackish and freshwater environments. It typically attains a length of 1.6 m (5.2 ft). Like other sharks, the females are larger than the males. The back tip reef Shark is listed as vulnerable.

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Shark of the day 3:

Filetail catshark

The filetail catshark (Parmaturus xaniurus) is an Eastern Pacific endemic deepwater catshark ranging from Oregon to the Gulf of California. An oviparous species, females deposit eggcases throughout the year with concentrated reproductive output July through September.

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Shark of the day 2:

Shortbelly Catshark

The shortbelly catshark (Apristurus breviventralis) is a catshark of the family Scyliorhinidae. It is found in Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean. This species most closely resembles the western Atlantic species Apristurus canutus, but is distinguishable in having greater nostril length than internarial width and longer claspers in adult males.

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Shark Of The Day 1:

Halmahera epaulette shark

The Halmahera epaulette shark, is a species of bamboo shark originating from Indonesia. This species is most similar to Hemiscyllium galei, found in West Papua, but has a strikingly different spot pattern. These small sharks are like other bamboo sharks, in that they use their pectoral fins to "walk" along the ocean floor. Halmahera epaulette sharks are currently near threatened.