Shark Summer

: Bat Ray Myliobatis californica; The triangular shaped pectoral fins of the bat ray are often called the wings and compared to those of a bat, hence the common name. These rays swim gracefully by flapping their bat-like pectoral fins bird style. The fins are also used to hunt food. The rays flap their pectoral fins in the sand to expose buried prey and then use their lobelike snout to dig prey from their sandy bottom habitats.

: Blacktip Reef Shark Carcharhinus melanopterus; The blacktip reef shark is a common inhabitant of many tropical reef communities, frequently observed in relatively shallow water. Considered a harmless shark and unagressive, it is curious and will investigate things that are not common to its habitat. Although neither a solitary or schooling fish, it is frequently seen in small aggregations, especially when feeding.

: Bonnethead Shark Sphyrna tiburo; Bonnethead sharks are the smallest of the 10 hammerhead shark species. The head shape of these sharks is unique among hammerhead species. Unlike most species that have straight heads with notched edges, those of bonnetheads are smooth and rounded between the eyes. These sharks are highly migratory. Although, they are common, coastal inshore sharks, only one unprovoked attack on a human has been recorded.

: Epaulette Shark Hemiscyllium ocellatum; This small, attractively marked shark is a rather interesting animal. It can, and does swim, but most of its movement is accomplished by “walking” with the use of several of its fins. Its slender body permits easy navigation in and around the intricacies of coral reefs where it feeds primarily on bottom living invertebrates.

: Freshwater Sawfish Pristis microdon; Pristis microdonis one of eight species of sawfish in the genus Pristis. It has two common names, the freshwater sawfish and the largetooth sawfish. The latter common name is also used for three other species in the genus. Freshwater sawfish are rays, and are related to stingrays, skates, sharks, and other fishes with cartilaginous skeletons.

: Pacific Cownose Ray Rhinoptera steindachneri; Cownose rays belong to the family, Myliobatidae, which also includes eagle and manta rays. They have the familiar winged shape of many species of large rays. This species has a distinguishing characteristic, its rostrum, the basis for its common name, cownose. The pectoral fins separate at the front of the head into two lobes with a center crease which, combined with the indented notch in the ray’s cartilaginous skull, give the rays a cow-like appearance. The species is migratory, usually traveling in schools.

: Reticulate Whipray Himantura uarnak; The reticulate whipray is also called the leopard ray, honeycomb stingray, and reticulate whiptail ray. It is one of about 20 ray species in which the common name includes whipray. This ray’s dorsal side is covered in an intricate pattern of conspicuous dark spots from which it gets the reticulate part of its common name. It inhabits tropical and subtropical waters in sandy areas of coral reefs and in lagoons and estuaries.

: Round Stingray (Round Ray) Urobatis halleri; The round stingray is probably the most numerous of the rays in its distribution area and is the most likely to be involved with stingray injuries to waders and swimmers. The genus name, Urobatis, is based on two Greek words, oura' and batis' that translate as tail and ray.

: Sand Tiger Shark Carcharias taurus; Sand tiger sharks are also known as spotted raggedtooth , ground, or gray nurse sharks. It is rumored that aquariums are the source of the "tiger" in the sand tiger name. Originally, called sand sharks, the tiger was added to make them seem more ferocious. All sharks in this family swim slowly with their mouths open, exposing long, narrow, needle-like teeth. A fearsome sight indeed!

: Sandbar Shark Carcharhinus plumbeus; One of the world’s largest coastal sharks, sandbar sharks are the most common species swimming along the US Atlantic coast. Their genus name Carcharhinus, which is of Greek derivation, translates to 'sharpened nose of lead' and although rounded horizontally, their profile is, indeed, sharp. The sandbar part of their common name comes from their preference for sandy bottoms of the ocean for a habitat. They are also called brown sharks. Identifying characteristics include a relatively heavy body, a short, rounded snout, large, dorsal and pectoral fins and a graceful swimming pattern. These sharks have been reported to be involved in some attacks on humans, but they are not generally considered dangerous.

: Thornback Platyrhinoidis triseriata; There are three species of thornbacks but only one, Platyrhinoidis triseriata, is found in California where it is a native fish, often called the. California or Pacific thornback. A thornback is a small to moderate sized, inshore fish that while distantly related to rays, is more closely related to guitarfish. For this reason the preferred common name of this species is thornback, not thornback ray. The name is derived from the sharp protective spines on the back and tail. These elasmobranchs are plentiful in southern California where they are frequently caught by both sport and commercial fishers.

: Whitetip Reef Shark Triaenadon obesus; The whitetip reef shark is slender and sleek with characteristic white markings on the tips of several of its fins. These markings gave it its common name, whitetip. It is an agile swimmer well suited for its mostly reef habitat existence.

: Zebra Shark Stegastoma fasciatum; Zebra shark, the common name of these slow-swimming, non-aggressive, bottom-dwelling sharks, is derived from the coloration of the juveniles that have narrow bars reminiscent of a zebra’s stripes. The bars are lost in adults, becoming spots. The appearance of the adults has earned these sharks the common name of leopard shark in Australia.

Aquarium of the Pacific