- Other Habitat Features
- Range depth
- 457 (high) m
- 1499.34 (high) ft
- Average depth
- 5-37 m
- Sexual Dimorphism
- sexes shaped differently
- Range length
- 100 (high) cm
- 39.37 (high) in
- Average length
- 82 to 85 cm
- Average basal metabolic rate
- 44.3 cm3.O2/g/hr
There is little information available for the mating system of.
There is little information about the reproductive cycle of (Bester, 2006).
- Key Reproductive Features
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- Range gestation period
- 7.5 to 12 months
- Parental Investment
- no parental involvement
There is no information available on the lifespan of.
Althoughis a solitary species, it is sometimes found in groups of several individuals while resting. Occasionally they are found piled atop one another (Compagno 1984; "MarineBio.org" 2005).
Communication and Perception
There is little information available on howcommunicates and perceives the environment. Sharks, in general, have keen chemical perception abilities and can sense electronic signals as well.
feeds on bony fishes, alive and dead, and crustaceans. Young feed on mollusks, crustaceans, and small fish. Swell sharks have large mouths and relatively small, sharp-pointed teeth that could handle large prey, but these sharks seem incapable of dashing after active prey (Compagno 1984).
It is thought that this species specializes in catching diurnal bony fishes that are relatively inactive and unresponsive at night. The nocturnal activity pattern of this slow and weak-swimming species aids in capture of prey (Compagno 1984). Swell sharks often are seen remaining motionless on sea floor, waiting for prey to wander by or be swept into their mouths by currents. They have also been known to enter lobster traps to eat lobsters (Bester, 2006). (Bester, 2006; Compagno, 1984)
- Animal Foods
- aquatic crustaceans
Swell sharks are preyed on by marine mammals, including sea lions, seals, and larger sharks. Developing swell shark embryos are sometimes eaten by marine snails, which bore through the egg casing. (Bester, 2006)
- Anti-predator Adaptations
There is little information available about the ecosystem role of C. ventriosum. They are both predators on fish, crustaceans, and mollusks, and are preyed on by larger predators.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Cephaolscyllium ventriosum is not fished commercially, and although this species is ocassionally caught by sportfishers and divers, the flesh is probably not utilized (Compagno 1984). (Compagno, 1984)
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
are not commercially fished, but are often caught as bycatch in the lobster and crab fishing industries. Although this species is not currently threatened or endangered, bycatch poses a potential conservation risk due to slow reproduction and the small number of young produced each year.
Tanya Dewey (editor), Animal Diversity Web.
Meredith Grycki (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Kevin Wehrly (editor, instructor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
- Pacific Ocean
body of water between the southern ocean (above 60 degrees south latitude), Australia, Asia, and the western hemisphere. This is the world's largest ocean, covering about 28% of the world's surface.
Referring to an animal that lives on or near the bottom of a body of water. Also an aquatic biome consisting of the ocean bottom below the pelagic and coastal zones. Bottom habitats in the very deepest oceans (below 9000 m) are sometimes referred to as the abyssal zone. see also oceanic vent.
- bilateral symmetry
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
an animal that mainly eats meat
flesh of dead animals.
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
the nearshore aquatic habitats near a coast, or shoreline.
having markings, coloration, shapes, or other features that cause an animal to be camouflaged in its natural environment; being difficult to see or otherwise detect.
animals which must use heat acquired from the environment and behavioral adaptations to regulate body temperature
uses electric signals to communicate
union of egg and spermatozoan
having a body temperature that fluctuates with that of the immediate environment; having no mechanism or a poorly developed mechanism for regulating internal body temperature.
- internal fertilization
fertilization takes place within the female's body
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
specialized for swimming
- native range
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
active during the night
reproduction in which eggs are released by the female; development of offspring occurs outside the mother's body.
an animal that mainly eats fish
- saltwater or marine
mainly lives in oceans, seas, or other bodies of salt water.
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
uses touch to communicate
that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
uses sight to communicate
2005. "MarineBio.org" (On-line). Accessed October 18, 2005 at http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=383.
Bester, C. 2006. "Biological Profiles: Swell Shark" (On-line). Florida Museum of Natural History, Ichthology Department. Accessed February 10, 2006 at http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/SwellShark/SwellShark.html.
Bright, M. 2000. The private life of sharks : the truth behind the myth. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books.
Compagno, L. 1984. FAO species catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 2. Carcharhiniformes. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.