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
8 BASKING SHARK Cetorhinus maximus Basking sharks swim very slowly Appearance Basking sharks are the second largest living fish Most are as long as a school bus They can weigh as much as two cars They are grayish brown or black Shark Depth Behavior Basking sharks often float near the surface of the water 655 to 6560 feet 200 to 2,000 m 2000 ft 4000 ft 6000 ft 8000 ft 10000 ft 12000 ft
9 They have hairs called gill rakers on the insides of their mouths To eat a basking shark opens its mouth to let water in The gill rakers separate tiny ocean animals from the water These animals will go to the shark's stomach The extra water goes out through the gills Range Basking sharks live mostly along the coasts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans They have been seen near the Hawaiian Islands They stay in areas where the weather is mild Length 36 feet 11 m Weight 4.3 tons 3.9 metric tons
