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constantly outdated shark taxonomy page, a monster list of shark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 of elasmodiver.com that contains pictures of
other marine organisms and of marine habitats. This expansion of
Elasmodiver is in its first stages but will eventually include pages
on all types of marine mammals, bony fishes and marine invertebrates
as well as coastal habitats, reefscapes and other imagess relating
to the ocean. Please return regularly to enjoy the progress.
Common
Names:
Pacific Angel
Shark, California Angel Shark, Angelshark.
Latin
Name: Squatina californica
Family:
Squatinidae
Other colloquial and foreign names for Squatina californica:
加州扁鯊China Mandarin Chinese
加州扁鲨ChinaMandarin Chinese
ангел морскойRussian Russian
ангел калифорнийский морскойRussian Russian
Ange de mer du PacifiqueFranceFrench
AngeloteMexicoSpanish
AngelotePeruSpanish
Californisk havengelNorwayNorwegian
KalifornianmerienkeliFinlandFinnish
Kalifornisk havsängelSwedenSwedish
Pacific Angel sharkUKEnglish
Pacific angelsharkUKEnglish
Pacifische zee-engelNetherlandsDutch
Pazifischer MeerengelGermanyGerman
Pez ángel del PacíficoSpainSpanish
Raszpla kalifornijskaPolandPolish
StillehavshavengelDenmarkDanish
Tiburón angelMexicoSpanish
Identification:
Light brown to grey flattened body with scattered small dark spots. Larger spots
form irregular ocelli. Light margin may be visible around edge of dorsum.
Terminal mouth with paired barbells and one pair of lightly fringed nasal skin
flaps.
Size: At birth 25-26cm. At maturity 100cm.
Maximum recorded size 152cm.
Habitat:
Often found in shallow bays on sand or mud bottoms. Regularly around rocks
sometimes near kelp. Depth range from 1-200m but usually shallow down to 100m.
Abundance
and distribution:
Eastern Pacific. From Alaska to the Sea of Cortez and Ecuador to southern Chile.
The southern population may be a different as yet undescribed species. Some
researchers suggest that due to their very small home ranges there may
even be distinct sub-species within the overall northern populations.
Diet:
Angel Sharks are ambush predators that lay in wait partially buried in the sand.
Their diet includes bass, croaker, flatfish, mackerel, and sardines. In early
winter when the squid spawning begins they feed primarily on squid which die
after spawning and therefore easy to catch.
Behavior:
Angel sharks choose their resting sites based on their success at ambush hunting
in a particular spot. Once selected they use their pectoral fins to dust away
enough sand to create a depression that they can settle into. If hunting is good
they will remain in the same spot for extended periods.
Falls prey to Great White Sharks and Sevengill Sharks.
Reproduction:
Ovoviviparous
with no yolk sac placenta.
Recorded litter size from 1-13. Little is known about Angel Shark mating
behavior.
Photographs:
Tajiguas Beach,
California.
Similar species:
Although certain sub-populations of Pacific Angel Sharks may be distinct species,
as yet none have been scientifically described and no other Angel Sharks share
Pacific Angel Shark's range.
Reaction to divers:
Remains completely motionless relying on camouflage.
Reluctant to move even when a diver exposes it completely by fanning the sand
away from its back. Will bite anything including a divers hand or foot if it
strays too close to the angel sharks mouth (within about 15cm).
Diving
logistics:
Pacific Angel Sharks were becoming more and more difficult to find until the
gill net fishery was banned during the mid 90s. Now populations are rebounding
and a resident community exists at Tajiguas Beach near Santa Barbara, CA. Enter
from the beach and swim along the sand outside of the kelp forest looking for
small dorsal fins poking up or the vague outline of the whole animal as it lays
in wait.
Many thanks to Ron Clough of the California Shark and Ray Count for showing me
this dive site.
References
and further
reading:
Sharks, Rays, and Chimaeras of
California. David A. Ebert. U of C Press.
Sharks of the World. Leonard
Compagno.
Sharks
and Rays - Elasmobranch Guide of the World. Ralf M. Hennemann. IKAN.
