Not just Shark Pictures:
Elasmodiver contains photos of sharks, skates, rays, and chimaera's
from around the world. It began as a simple web based field guide to
help divers find the best places to encounter different species of
sharks and rays but it has slowly evolved into a much larger project
containing information on all aspects of shark diving and
photography. There are now more than a thousand shark pictures
and sections on shark evolution, biology, and conservation. There is
a large library of reviewed shark books, a constantly outdated shark
taxonomy page, a monster list of shark links, and deeper in the site
there are numerous articles and stories about shark encounters.
Elasmodiver is now so difficult to check for updates, that new
information and pictures are listed
on an Elasmodiver Updates Page that
can be accessed here:
If you're
looking for a broader range of marine life pictures the following
links represent a new area that contains pictures on other marine
organisms and on marine habitats. This expansion of Elasmodiver is
in its first stages but will eventually include pages on everything
from sea stars to nudibranches. Creating this portal will take time
and for now it consists of a token offering of fish pictures. Please
return regularly to enjoy the progress.
Identification:
Large, blocky, pig-like head. Dorsal spines present,
terminating well below tips of dorsal fins. Dorsal fins pointed. Distinct, dark
bridle pattern running from upper back onto
pectoral fins and along flanks. Dark stripe also runs from the cheeks over the
eyes and across the supra-orbital ridges
Size:
Maximum
length 170cm.23cm at birth. Males mature at 70
- 80cm, females amture at 85 - 90cm.
Habitat:
Intertidal to at least 275m. Rocky
reefs and sand flats from. Juveniles often in open sandy areas.
Abundance
and distribution: Northern Western Australia around south coast to
Northern
Queensland. Most common in Southern range.
Behavior:
Nocturnal.
Rests during the day in groups or solitary, on the sand and forages for small
fishes, Sea urchins, and benthic invertebrates at night. Juveniles form
large nurseries sometimes with hundreds of sharks.
Reproduction:
Oviparous.During August and September
deposits 10 - 16
distinctive auger shaped egg cases every 8 to 17 days in shallow
rock crevices.
Observations:
Photographs:
Albany, Western Australia.
Similar
species: Crested horn shark.
Shares east coast home range but easily distinguished by lack of bridled pattern
and higher supra-orbital ridge.
Reaction
to divers: Can often be
easily
approached but prone to bolt especially when in the open.
Diving
logistics: Port Jackson sharks are
fairly abundant in much of their southern range.
Consequently they are often encountered by divers in recreational diving depths.
Other
diving locations submitted by readers:
Further
reading:
Reef
Sharks and Rays of the World. Scott W. Michael. Sea Challengers.
Sharks
and Rays - Elasmobranch Guide of the World. Ralf M. Hennemann. IKAN.
