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constantly outdated shark taxonomy page, a monster list of shark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.
Identification:
White tips and trailing margins
of dorsal, pectoral, and caudal fins (and to a lesser degree all other
fins). Stout body. Gray to bluish gray upper body. Underside pale to white.
Size:
Maximum
length 3 metres. 63 - 68cm at birth.
Habitat:
Deeper off shore reefs, isolated islets, and continental drop offs.
Intertidal to usually below 30 meters.
Abundance
and distribution: In
the Indian Ocean from the Red Sea to Southern Africa. In the Pacific from Japan
to Australia and across to Columbia. A regular visitor at Cocos Island.
Behavior:Territorial.
Seen singly, in pairs, and in small aggregations. Cruises reef faces usually in
deep water. Feeds on benthic, reef, and pelagic fishes such as scorpionfishes,
parrotfishes, tuna, and small sharks.
Reproduction:
Viviparous.
Litter number 1 - 11. Mating obviously an aggressive activity as females have
been observed with mating wounds including the top of the first dorsal bitten
off.
Observations:
Photographs:
East Africa.
Similar species:Gray
Reef Shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) has similarly coloured dorsal fin
but all other fins have black tips.
Reaction to divers:
Usually shy
moves
away unless in a baited situation. I have observed extremely aggressive
behaviour as soon as bait was introduced. During one feed in Burma two
Silvertips hit the bait so hard that they carried into the reef with a
resounding crash, breaking coral and thrashing wildly. Divers have been reported
to be attacked during shark feeds in Micronesia and New Guinea.
Diving
logistics:
Many organised trips run out
of Phuket, Thailand to the famed Burma Banks especially Silvertip Bank where
Silvertips are regularly encountered during staged shark feeds. Recently the
sharks appearing have declined in number due to longlining. Also often attending
these feeds are reef whitetips (Triaenodon obesus) and the Tawny nurse
shark (Nebrius ferrugineus). Other diving destinations with frequent
sightings include: Socorro Islands off Baja, Cocos Island, Papua New Guinea,
Eastern and Western Australia, French Polynesia, and Micronesia.
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.
