Leopard Sharks
A Quick Guide to Leopard Sharks
Sometimes people confuse Leopard Sharks with Zebra Sharks. That’s because in Southeast Asia and Australia, they are both called Leopard Sharks, and because when a Zebra Shark becomes an adult they lose their stripes and replace them with spots reminiscent of a leopard. The spots are, however, not the same as those on a true Leopard Shark.
The Leopard Shark was named back in 1855. It does not have a wide distribution for a shark, with populations being found only in the Eastern Pacific Ocean from Oregon south through California to Mexico. San Francisco Bay has a big population of Leopard Sharks.
Leopard Sharks get their name from the fact that they are covered with dark saddles and spots. Their basic coloring is silver to varying shades of gray. The shark has a short snout which is quite wide and often described as stout. The front dorsal fin is larger than the second and the anal fin is much smaller. It also has pectoral fins and a tail with a notched upper lobe. Most Leopard Sharks are in the six-foot range and none over seven feet have ever been reported.
Leopard Sharks are frequently seen by humans because they can be found in water that is a mere twenty feet deep. They like temperate waters, both warm and cool, and have been spotted as far down as three hundred feet. It is a schooling fish that will form groups with other sharks, including the brown or gray smooth-hounds or spiny dogfish.
There are no records of anyone ever haven been bitten or attacked by Leopard Sharks. They eat a variety of invertebrates, including shrimp, clam siphons, octopi, crabs, worms, as well as all kinds of small fish and fish eggs. They do not always eat their entire prey--sometimes they only eat parts of it and leave the rest in a mutilated state. They are the prey of larger sharks and young Leopard Sharks can be eaten by sea mammals.
Leopard Sharks lay eggs but they hatch inside the womb and the female gives birth to live pups. This shark has a gestational period of ten to twelve months. They can give birth to anywhere from four to thirty pups but usually stay in the low range of that spectrum. They are not listed as threatened or endangered but, because of their low birth numbers, are managed in the United States. The shark is caught for food by both commercial and sport fishermen.
The Leopard Shark is one of the sharks that divers regularly try to view and/or approach. One of the most popular spots for this activity is the Marine Room Restaurant in La Jolla, California. Leopard Sharks are seen there in large numbers in the summer and early fall.