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Cuddle Up with the Pyjama Shark

The pyjama shark, or striped catshark (Poroderma africanum) is a species of shark found only off the coast of South Africa. It resides in rocky reefs and kelp forests at depths of up to 100 m (328 ft) or as shallow as the intertidal zone.

Pyjama sharks most active at night, when they are usually seen swimming along the bottom of the ocean, searching for prey. They feed on many different types of invertebrates, including sea slugs, crabs, and urchins, as well as eggs, and small fish like anchovies, and cephalopods- especially chokka squid. In fact, their stripes help to hide them in the egg masses laid by squid so they can wait in ambush for incoming females. They are commonly predated upon by larger sharks; their primarly defense when threatened is to curl themselves into a ball with their tail covering their head.

Among the catsharks, the striped catshark is one of the larger species; adults can grow up to 1.1 m (3.6 ft) long and 7.9 kg (17 lb) in weight. They are usually grey in color, with black stripes running down the length of their bodies. The snout is blunt, and has two short barbels protruding from its top lip which it uses to detect nearby foot. Males and females are indistinguishable from each other.

P. africanum is reproductively active throughout the year. Although males and females are not actively social, they will often congregate together in large groups. An oviparous shark, meaning it lays a single egg in a square packet. The egg incubates for about five and a half months, and hatches into a fully independent juvenile. They reach sexual maturity at 7-13 years old, and can live to be about 21.

Conservation status: The pyjama shark is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. Their primary threats are overfishing as bycatch, and potentially shrinking habitat due to climate change.

Photos

Pippa Ehrlich

Guido Zsilavecz

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