Leopard shark

The name "leopard shark" may also be used for the zebra shark, Stegostoma fasciatum; and the tiger shark, Galeocerdo cuvier.

Leopard shark
Conservation status
Conservation Dependent  (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Order:	Carcharhiniformes
Family:	Triakidae
Genus:	Triakis
Species:	T. semifasciata
Binomial name
Triakis semifasciata Girard, 1855

The leopard shark, Triakis semifasciata, is a hound shark found in the coastal waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean, along the coast of North America from Oregon to Baja California.

The species can grow up to 7 ft (2.12 m) in length, with a long, slender body and head. The distinctive markings that give the species its common name provide camouflage against dappled ground. Leopard sharks are bottom feeders, eating worms, mollusks, crustaceans, octopuses, and small fish.

Size

Leopard Sharks are generally 8 to 9 inch (20 to 23 cm) at birth. The largest recorded size is approximately 71 inches (180 cm) long. The average size of an adult leopard shark is between 50 and 60 inches (120cm to 150 cm). It can weigh up to 71 pounds (32 kg).

Habitat

Leopard sharks are found in rocky areas, rocky reefs, kelp beds, sandy areas and under piers. Leopard sharks swim at depths of 10 to 250 ft. They are usually seen swimming at 20 feet or less. They prefer cold to warm water. They are often seen at large shoals but when breeding can be solitary.

Reproduction

Leopard sharks migrate seasonally. Their reproduction is aplacental viviparity (no yolk-sack placenta); the 4 to 29 pups per litter gestate within the body of the female and are born live. Gestation is estimated at 10 to 12 months.

Range

Leopard sharks range from Mazatlan, Mexico, to Oregon. Tagging has revealed that stock is mostly resident in San Francisco Bay. However, about 10 percent of the population moves into the ocean seasonally, and one male tagged in San Francisco Bay was recaptured in Santa Monica Bay 10 years later. Mixing between regional stocks is thought to be limited.

Hunting

The sharks hunt in groups, sometimes with smooth-hound sharks. The species is actively sought by sport fishermen in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Monterey Bay for its tender, flavorful flesh. Conservationists are concerned with sport fishing of the species, which, like most sharks, reproduces slowly.

Gallery

• 
  A leopard shark swimming in a kelp forest.
• 
  Top view of a leopard shark resting in shallow water.
• 
  Leopard shark, Monterey, California

References

• Template:IUCN2006 Database entry includes justification for why this species is dependent on conservation

• "Triakis semifasciata". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 04 March. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
• Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Triakis semifasciata". FishBase. Nov 2005 version.
• Ebert, David, Sharks, Rays and Chimaeras of California, University of California Press, 2003
• Smith, Susan California Marine Living Resources: A Status Report (Leopard Shark), California Department of game and fish, 2001
• author unknown. Sharks and Rays Pictures and Information from around the world. Date retrieved: Thursday, May 22, 2008
• Delius, Bryan. "Leopard Shark." Florida Museum of Natural History. 27 May 2008

External links

• Biological Profile, Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department