Leopard Shark

Animal Unique | Leopard Shark | The Leopard shark is a type of hound shark, Triakidae family, they are currently an abundant species in cool and warm temperate waters. They are found in inshore and offshore continental coastal waters. The most common at or near the bottom in shallow waters. They prefer sandy or muddy bays. They are active, strong swimmers and are known for great schools that seem to be nomadic form. The swimming motion of this type is described as undulating. Leopard sharks are often seen together with smooth brown dogs, black dogs, smooth or angled dogfish. Leopard sharks are found in the eastern Pacific from Oregon to the Gulf of California, Mexico.

Scientific classification
Kingdom:     Animalia
Phylum:     Chordata
Class:     Chondrichthyes
Subclass:     Elasmobranchii
Order:     Carcharhiniformes
Family:     Triakidae
Genus:     Triakis
Species:     T. semifasciata

Leopard sharks have short, broad rounded snout, their first dorsal fins are moderately large, its origin is their pectoral inner margins. Their second dorsal fin is almost as big as the first one (height is about 3 / 4 of the first dorsal fin) and their external anal fins are much smaller than their second dorsal fin. Their pectoral fins are broad triangular and they have very conspicuous dark saddles and spots on their bodies. They have a gray to bronze-gray upper bodies with light belly (bottom) surfaces. Their average size is between 1.2 to 1.5 m and the maximum total length is about 1.8 m. Leopard sharks can be a weight of 18.4 kg and live for as long as 30 years.

Leopard sharks feed primarily on bottom dwelling invertebrates. Other small sharks are also found in their stomachs. Their diet seems to change with the seasons and age / size. An active species that swims with strong undulation, the lLeopard sharks spotted cruising in general, or just outside the surf zone. It is more active at night than during the day, and sometimes is still on the ground. From birth, leopard sharks, large schools are generally separated by age and sex, which can mix with a gray or brown smooth hounds and spiny dogfish.

Leopard sharks are viviparous aplacental (ovoviviparous) and they produce between 4-29 pups per litter. Their size at birth is about 20 cm outside and they grow slowly. They reach maturity at about the age of 10 years, men with a size between the timing 0.7-1.2 meters, females at about 1.1-1.3 m, respectively.
Ovoviviparous: eggs are retained in the body of the woman in a brood chamber where the embryo develops, receiving food from a yolk sac. This is the method of reproduction for the "live-bearing" fishes where pups hatch from egg capsules in the womb of the mother and shortly after birth.

Leopard sharks are harmless to humans. This medium sized shark is fairly common in the coastal bays and estuaries and are recognized by both commercial and recreational fishermen outside. Although a slow-growing, mature late shark with low productivity, management introduced in recent decades apparently protected the core of the population in California and Oregon waters from overfishing.

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