| Cartilaginous Fishes | Sharks |
Swell Shark
Cephaloscyllium ventriosum
| Conservation Status: Safe for Now
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- Carl Anderson. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 License.
- A resting swell shark at Santa Cruz Island
Swell sharks are relatively small, inactive sharks, fairly common to Southern California waters. The common name is based on their ability, when threatened, to engorge the stomach with water or air to about twice its natural size. Commonly found in kelp forests with rocky substrates where their drab color allows them to blend into the background. Generally shy and harmless unless aggressively threatened, these sharks attempt to stay clear of divers and snorkelers. Swell sharks are harmless unless handled or provoked.
Facts and Features
- Geographic Distribution
Eastern Pacific Ocean from central California to southern Mexico, including the Gulf of California. Population in central Chile that some believe is a separate species.
- Amazing Facts
Swell sharks have a defensive mechanism that is resorted to if seriously threatened. A shark that feels a need for protection, curves its body into a “U” shape by taking its tail into its mouth, and pumps water or air into its stomach. It can inflate or swell to about twice its natural size, which might lock it into a nook or cranny or create enough increase in size to deter a would-be predator. When the danger is past, the swell shark makes a bark-like noise and expels the air or water, returning to its natural size. This behavior is the basis for where the swell part of the swell shark’s common name.
- At the Aquarium
Unhatched egg cases and young swell sharks only a few inches long are displayed in the “Shark Babies” exhibit in the Southern California Gallery. The newly hatched sharks remain in this habitat until they grow large enough to be re-located to other habitats in the gallery.
