How can you identify a shark?

How can you identify a shark?

Distinguishing Characteristics:

1. Pectoral fins long (as long as or longer than head), broad-tipped.
2. Color dark blue to bluish-black above, bluish-gray or white below.
3. Eyes large.
4. Mouth area and underside of conical snout dusky or bluish-black.
5. Caudal fin lunate with single keel on caudal peduncle.

What sharks live in South Australia?

5 sharks you can find in South Australia

• Great white shark. Great white sharks can grow up to 6 metres long, weigh up to 2 tonne and live for more than 70 years.
• Port Jackson shark. The cutie of SA’s sharks is this guy.
• Wobbegong shark.
• Bronze whaler shark.
• Gummy shark.

What sharks are protected in South Australia?

White Sharks are a protected species in South Australia. They are protected under Section 71 of the South Australian Fisheries Management Act 2007.

How do you identify a sand shark?

Sand Tiger Shark

1. Snout short and conical.
2. Light brown with irregular dark spots on body.
3. First dorsal fin starts well behind pectoral fin.
4. First and second dorsal fins of equal size.
5. All 5 gill slits are in front of the pectoral fin.
6. Small eyes and a long mouth that extends behind the eyes.
7. No interdorsal ridge.

What shark has dots on it?

Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) Their backs are gray, blue, or brown in color and covered with regularly arranged light spots. Whale sharks are found in warm waters in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.

How can you tell a bull shark?

Bull Shark

1. Back is pale to dark gray, fading to a white belly.
2. Snout bluntly rounded, much shorter than width of mouth.
3. First dorsal fin has wide base, almost as wide as height; begins over or just behind pectoral fin insertion.
4. 2nd dorsal fin is much shorter than the 1st dorsal fin.
5. No interdorsal ridge.

Are there bull sharks in SA?

The bull shark is known to most South Africans as the Zambezi shark, as it has been found many kilometers up the Zambezi River. Behavior: Aside from their freshwater capabilities Bull sharks are generally confined to coastal waters, estuaries and river mouths.

Are hammerhead sharks protected in South Australia?

Keeping either species of hammerhead shark taken by any means is now illegal in the waters off New South Wales, Australia.

Is there a difference between a sand shark and a sandbar shark?

Sandbars have been called “brown” or sand sharks in the past. The accepted common name is sandbar. They were migrating by with the blacktips.

What does sand shark look like?

Characteristics. Sand tiger sharks are brownish-gray with rust-colored spots on top and white underneath. They have a flattened, cone-shaped snout and a distinctive, oblong tail with a notched, upper lobe that is significantly longer than the lobe below. Individuals range in size from 6.5 to 10.5 feet in length.

What is a shark with white dots?

Atlantic sharpnose shark has scattered white spots on back and sides; lacks dusky blotch at tip of snout. Finetooth shark has more pointed snout, longer gills, bluish-gray color; lacks dusky blotch at tip of snout.

How can you tell the difference between a reef shark and a bull shark?

The bull shark features a long caudal fin, a small snout, and a smaller second dorsal fin. The reef shark has a fusiform body, with rounded snouts and blunt, large, oval, or round eyes, and pelvic fins. Its prominent dorsal fin may be tipped with white or black. The reef shark has five gill slits.

How can you tell the difference between a black shark and a bull shark?

Bull shark has a shorter snout, first dorsal fin rearward sloping; fins not usually black-tipped. Comparison of blacktip and spinner shark tail regions demonstrating the black coloration on the spinner shark anal fin and the lack of color on the blacktip shark anal fin.

Are there lots of sharks in South Australia?

At least 155 sharks have been spotted in South Australian waters this summer, an increase on last year. “We have no idea at this moment why that is, but safe to say sightings have increased by 13 per cent,” Surf Life Saving SA lifesaving and emergency operations manager Daniel Willetts said.

Where can I find Nannygai in South Australia?

Nannygai are caught around deep offshore reefs, lumps and pinnacles in cooler waters between southern WA and southern NSW. Anglers use onboard electronics to search for suitable ground, then drift over the area with bottom bouncing rigs. Look for prominent ledges and lumps.

How can you tell a gummy shark?

Description: Gummy sharks are a relatively small slender-bodied species with a short head. They are grey or grey-brown above and white below, with white spots on the back and upper sides. The second dorsal fin is nearly as large as the first dorsal fin.

Are there bull sharks in South Australia?

Distribution. This species has a widespread distribution in tropical and warm temperate waters worldwide. In Australia the Bull Shark occurs from south-western, Western Australia, around the northern coastline and down the east coast to the central coast of New South Wales.