Once the sharks reach maturity, however, their stripes fade away, and the sharks have a yellow-brown skin with dark circular spots much like a cheetah or a leopard. When young, the zebra sharks have a dark brown and yellow stripe, and it is these stripes that are thought to have given the shark its zebra name. Zebra sharks are a confusingly named shark, as their patterns and markings differ with age. Image credit: Liné1 via Wikimedia Commons. Chain catsharks live within western Central Atlantic and the northwest Atlantic Ocean, and can grow to be about two feet in length. This patterning helps the shark to camouflage when it is resting on the bottom of the ocean amongst rubble and rocks, and the chain pattern also mimics reflective shapes made by light through the water. The chain shark is light grey in color, like most sharks, but has a dark greyish black pattern across its body that resembles a chain link fence pattern. The chain catshark is a type of ground shark that is biofluorescent, meaning it uses natural luminescence to attract others of its kind. Nasal barrels are present, as well as hanging tassels on their body and head. Wobbegong have a low flattened shape and flat head, resembling a catfish in many ways. Wobbegong have two dorsal fins, below the pelvis, short tail fins, and particularlly wide pectoral and pelvic fins.Their habitat ranges mainly within the eastern Indian Ocean along the coast of southern Australia. This colouration helps them blend into the reefs among which they live and hunt. Spotted wobbegong sharks are mottled sharks whose yellow-green and brown spots mimic a camouflage pattern. Spotted Wobbegong A spotted wobbegong in the Byron Bay of the Julian Rocks National Park. They can filter as much as 4,000,000 pounds of ocean every hour, consuming plankton and tiny sea creatures. Like their whale shark cousins, basking sharks eat by filtering massive amounts of water through gill-like filters in their mouth. The sharks appeared to be basking in the sun’s warmth, and were named after this tendency.
The basking shark got its name from its behaviour of drifting slowly along the ocean surface in warm summer months. They can grow to a massive size, measuring as long as 45 feet, or 15 meters, and weighing roughly 10,000 pounds, or 4.5 metric tons. The basking shark is the second largest fish in the ocean, after the whale shark. Basking Shark A baskin shark in the ocean near Scotland. Their primary habitat is in the southeast Atlantic and western Indian Oceans, and they are thought to be endemic to the South African coastline. These sharks are also on the smaller side, growing to roughly two to three feet when mature. Pyjama sharks also have two dorsal fins, which are located much further back on their bodies than most sharks - which have that infamous fin roughly midway along their bodies. This pattern is likely what gave the sharks their name, as the dark and light striping resembles classic striped pyjamas. This particular species of shark may sound made up, but it is indeed a unique species scientifically known as Poroderma afriocanum. These sharks are striking due to the distinct stripes which run lengthwise along their bodies from head to tail. Pyjama Shark A pyjama shark in South Africa. They can grow to be between four and seven feet, but are slender and relatively gentle, thus seeking security in a large group. Unlike real leopards though, leopard sharks live in nomadic schools, or groups. The dark grey or black patterning on an otherwise silver body resembles a similar spotting to that of a leopard. Leopard sharks are so named for their dark saddle-shaped spots along their back and fins. In warmer months they can be found in shallower bays and coves such as those in La Jolla, especially during breeding season. Their main habitat ranges from the coast of Oregon, down to the Gulf of California. While perhaps not as rare as some others on this list, the leopard shark is nonetheless a lesser known shark species, mainly because it has a very limited habitat. Read More Are Sharks Mammals? Leopard Shark A leopard shark in the sea.
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