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constantly outdated shark taxonomy page, a monster list of shark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:
Stocky
yelowish brown body. Fins falcate. Second dorsal fin almost as high as first.
Eyes large. Snout broadly rounded.
Size:
Maximum
length 340cm. Size at birth 56-81cm.
Habitat:
A coastal species. Inshore lagoons, and reef faces near deep water drop offs.
Juveniles stay in areas of mangrove and shallow sand flats.
Abundance
and distribution: In
the western Atlantic from New Jersey to southern Brazil and in the
eastern Atlantic around west Africa. In the eastern Pacific from Baja to Equador.
Behavior: Maintains
a home range of 18-93 square kilometres. May be found solitary or in
aggregations such as the one recently recorded off of eastern Florida. Adult
diet consists mainly of fishes including jacks, catfishes, guitarfishes,
stingrays, and other sharks.
Reproduction:
Viviparous.
Recorded litter size 4 - 17. Gestation period 10 - 12 months.
Observations:
Photographs:Tiger Beach, Bahamas.
Similar species:
The lemon shark is fairly easy to identify but is superficially similar to many
other carcharhinids.
Reaction to divers:Not known for its aggressiveness around
divers but should not be molested. Lemon sharks are difficult to approach
closely unless in a chumming situation.
Diving
logistics: The best opportunity to dive with
Lemon sharks is probably with Jim Abernethy's Scuba Adventures aboard his
dedicated live-aboard the Shear Water. Jim has a talent for
attracting big sharks and knows some great spots where each species is likely to
be found.
The
seasonal aggregations off of the coast of Florida are a newly recorded
phenomenon that has surprised the shark experts. Jim Abernethy is also on top of
this encounter and should be contacted to find out when the aggregation starts
(mid winter seems to be the time).
Other diving locations submitted by
readers:
References
and 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.
