THE ELASMODIVER SHARK AND RAY FIELD GUIDE

 

SHARK GUIDE

SHARK PICTURES

WHAT'S NEW?

SHARK BLOG

MERCHANDISE

SHARK TRIPS

SITE MAP

E-MAIL

 

 SHARK INFO

SHARK & RAY FIELD GUIDE

SHARK PICTURE DATABASE

SHARK TAXONOMY

SHARK

BIOLOGY

SHARK EVOLUTION

SHARK FACTS FOR KIDS

 

SHARK DIVING

SHARK DIVING EXPEDITIONS

SHARK DIVING 101

SHARK DIVING HOTSPOTS

SHARK DIVING STORIES

SHARK FEEDING ADVICE

SHARK

ATTACKS

 

CONSERVATION

SHARKS UNDER THREAT

PREDATORS IN PERIL

 

PHOTOGRAPHY

SHARK PHOTO TIPS

DAILY SHARK IMAGES

 

RESOURCES

SHARK NEWS

SHARK LINKS

SHARK BOOKS

SHARK FILMS

SHARK TERMS

 

WEB STUFF

CONTACT ELASMODIVER

ABOUT ELASMODIVER

ANDY MURCH ELASMO GEEK

 

WHAT IS ELASMODIVER?

Not just a huge collection of Shark Pictures: Elasmodiver.com contains images of sharks, skates, rays, and a few chimaera's from around the world. Elasmodiver began as a simple web based shark field guide to help divers find the best places to encounter the different species of sharks and rays that live in shallow water but it has slowly evolved into a much larger project containing information on all aspects of shark diving and shark photography.

There are now more than 10,000 shark pictures  and sections on shark evolution, biology, and conservation. There is a large library of reviewed shark books, a constantly updated 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:

WHAT'S NEW?

Shark picture - green sawfish

_

 

 

 

Grey Smoothhound Shark

 

Grey smoothhound shark

 

View all available grey smoothhound shark pictures in the Shark Picture Database

 

Common Names: Grey smoothhound, gray smoothhound, Mud shark, sand shark.

 

Latin Name: Mustelus californicus.

 

Family: Triakidae - Houndsharks

 

Identification:

Long slender body. Dorsum plain grey/brown. Ventrum pale. Short, narrow head. Dorsal fin triangular.

labial furrows (mouth creases) equally sized. Origin of dorsal slightly behind trailing edge of pectoral fin. Ventral caudal lobe poorly developed.

 

Size:

Maximum recorded size: Male 116cm. Female 124cm.

 

Habitat: 

Mud and sand flats in shallow bays and in deeper water on the continental shelf.

 

Distribution:

Eastern Pacific. Northern California to southern Baja including all of the Sea of Cortez.

 

Diet:

Hunts over sand in search of burrowing invertebrates. Consumes mostly crabs.

 

Behavior:

Enters shallow bays in search of food which it locates under the sand. Occasionally mixes with large aggregations of leopard sharks.

 

Reproduction:

Viviparous with yolk sac placenta. Recorded litter size 2-5.

 

IUCN Red List Status:

Least Concern.

IUCN quote: "The grey smoothhound shark is taken as bycatch in California and is both a target and bycatch of trawl and gillnet fisheries off Mexico. Despite continued fishing pressure there is no evidence to suggest this species has declined. This is a relatively fast-growing shark, with relatively short longevity (approximately nine years), early age at first maturity (2?3 years for females) and moderate fecundity (3?16 pups per litter), and is therefore considered to have a high capacity for recovery from fishing pressure compared to other sharks. These life-history characteristics, combined with no evidence to suggest the species has declined result in an assessment of Least Concern. Given that fishing pressure is continuing, catch levels need to be quantified and catch and population trends should be monitored carefully".

Citation: Pérez-Jiménez, J.C. & Carlisle, A.B. 2009. Mustelus californicus. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>.

 

Photographs:

La Jolla, California.

 

Similar species:

Brown smoothhound shark M.henlei recognizable by its frayed rear margins on its dorsal fins. Sicklefin smoothhound M.lunulatus recognizable by its more acute, backwards sloping dorsal fins.

 

Reaction to divers:

A shy species that is difficult to approach. Divers remaining still may be rewarded by a close approach.

 

Diving logistics:

Divers and snorkellers at La Jolla Shores near San Diego occasionally encounter grey smoothhound sharks mixed in with the large aggregations of leopard sharks that show up there during the summer months. Divers/snorkelers hoping to see this shark should spend time searching in front of the Marine Room Restaurant; a shallow stretch of beach at the north end of La Jolla Shores.

HOME     LINKS     TAXONOMY      UNDER THREAT     BOOKS     CONTACT

 

 

 SHARK TRIPS

 

MORE EXPEDITIONS

 

SPONSORS

 

ADVERTISERS

 

ELASMO-BLOGS

SharkPictures   Shark & Ray Field Guide   SharkPhotography   SharkDiving   Taxonomy   Evolution   Biology   SharkAttacks   Books   Shark Movies   Stories   Extinction   Protection   Updates   SiteMap

 

CONTACT ELASMODIVER

elasmodiver@gmail.com

250-588-8267

P.O.Box 8719 Station Central, Victoria, BC., V8W 3S3, Canada