todays shark of the week is,,,
the lemon shark! (negaprion brevirostris)
Unfortunately no, they're not bright yellow like the name would suggest, yes i'm sad about it too.
They average at about 8 - 10 ft (2.4m - 3m) with the largest lemon shark recorded being around 12 ft (3.6m)
Their average adult weight seems to be around 210-220 lbs (95kg - 99kg) with a general max of 500+ lbs (226+ kg)
They're named after the yellow hue of their skin! though the name lemon shark is very deceptive as they're not really all that yellow and moreso a muddy beige if anything.
Lemon sharks are estimated to have a general lifespan of about 20-27+ years
They're viviparous! with a litter size of as little as 4 pups to as many as 17 pups!
Lemon sharks are very social and friendly with their own kind, and are overall confident inquisitive creatures
When they're born their mothers leave them immediately to fend for themselves in shallow waters amongst other juvenile lemon sharks, which is likely where their major social behavior comes from as they grow up surrounded and learning from each other from day one!
While they're friendly and social with other lemon sharks, extreme caution should be exercised around them as humans are not sharks! there are reports of unprovoked attacks. they may be nice to you but the absolute safest nicest way to interact with any kind of shark is by not interacting at all, and instead admiring their beauty from a safe distance! don't get bit!
Lemon sharks, like most other sharks, are opportunistic, stealth based nocturnal hunters. using their sandy coloured bodies to blend in so they can sneak up on prey before violently shredding their prey with their very sharp serrated teeth
The lemon sharks diet consists of various fish, rays, crustaceans and other smaller sharks occasionally even smaller lemon sharks!
Lemon sharks are one of many species of sharks that return to the place they were born to give birth to their own litter of pups! this is called natal philopatry
The species is considered to be near threatened due to human interference
They do surprisingly well in captivity considering the vast majority of shark species are extremely difficult to impossible to keep captive
jbbartram-illu
ellievsbear
blakekathryn
janainaart
turnnoffyourmind
izzy806
origamiaround
dailybridgerton
germansingergirl
