#shysharks

[themesopelagiczone]

earth fact time. meet the shyshark, the largest species of catshark. when they get scared, they curl up with their tails over their eyes, which is why they're called shysharks!

pictures, in order: brown shyshark, natal shyshark, dark shyshark, puffadder shyshark

inaturalist nz | florida museum

photos: andy murch | andy murch | andy murch | doug perrine

[sharkfactoftheday]

Juvenile dark shysharks have slender bodies, while adults are more stocky.

[notvirginawoolf]

Me watching the news.

[sharkfactoftheday]

All four species of shyshark are endemic to southern Africa.

[sharkfactoftheday]

Shysharks have a broad flattened head that takes up about one fifth of their body length, and a rounded snout.

[sharkfactoftheday]

Where the ranges of the brown shyshark and the puffadder overlap, the former tends to favor shallow inshore areas while the latter is found in deeper offshore waters.

[sharkfactoftheday]

The saddles on a natal shyshark are darker than those of the puffadder.

[sharkfactoftheday]

The brown shyshark is found up to depths of around 133 m (436 ft) in shallow, temperate waters on rocky reefs, and is reported to rest on the bottom during the day.