4 INTRODUCTION What Are Sharks Sharks are fish A shark's skeleton is made of cartilage instead of bone This helps sharks float Sharks breathe through gills Their skin is made of tiny sharp scales Sharks have good eyesight and hearing They also have a good sense of smell There are more than 500 different shark species They range in size from less than 7 inches 18 cm to more than 55 feet 17 m long Most sharks are gray But they can be many other colors Some have spots or stripes Sharks eat plankton shellfish fish and ocean mammals such as seals Sharks bite off pieces of their food They swallow each piece whole Sharks have many teeth When a shark loses a tooth a new one takes its place Sharks have lived in Earth's oceans for more than 400 million years Only a few species of
caudal tail fin Shark Fins dorsal fin pelvic fins pectoral fins sharks will bite humans When they do it is usually because they are confused or afraid 5
6 AUSTRALIAN SWELLSHARK Cephaloscyllium laticeps The Australian swellshark can also be called the draughtboard shark nutcracker shark or sleepy joe Appearance Australian swellsharks have short wide round heads Their eyes are cat like Their bodies are brown or gray They are covered with dark and light spots At birth they are about the size of a cell phone Most adults grow to be as long as a baseball bat
Behavior Swellsharks are not very active They move more during the night than the day Swellsharks eat small fish crustaceans shrimp and squid A swellshark can fill its stomach with air or water This makes the shark look bigger Predators might be scared away Range Australian swellsharks live in shallow water They are often found near southeastern Australia They live near rocky and sandy areas of the ocean floor Length 3.3 to 4.9 feet 1 to 1.5 m Weight Weight not documented Shark Depth Down to 2130 feet 650 m 2000 ft 4000 ft 6,000 ft 8000 ft 10,000 ft 12000 ft 7
