#catsharks

you get: Marble Catshark

Today's shark is the puffadder shyshark!

The basics: the puffadder shyshark (Haploblepharus edwardsii) is a small species of catshark native exclusively to the continental shelf along South Africa. They are slow-moving sharks, named for their coloration resembling the puff adder snake - though they don't act like that notoriously huffy and defensive snake at all! Like other shysharks in their genus, they earned the "shy" moniker by their threat response: when they feel threatened, they curl up and hide their faces with their tails.

Conservation status: endangered. Though the puffadder shyshark is common within its range, that range is very, very small. Puffadder shysharks are too small to have any commercial fishing value, but its entire range is within an area that is heavily fished, and an increase in fishing (or even an increase in fishing methods that result in more bycatch of the species) or habitat loss could easily and rapidly threaten the whole population.

Today's fun fact: it's been observed in a few small studies that the gender of a puffadder shyshark might predict its preferred food! Barring other factors, female individuals tend towards preferring crustaceans, while males prefer to eat polychaetes (marine annelid worms).

Common smooth-hound (Mustelus mustelus), Small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula), Nursehound (Scyliorhinus stellaris)

Fishes of the World. Written by Hans Hvass. Illustrated by Wilhelm Eigener. Originally published in 1964.

Day 19: Voidpunk Coral Catshark

ID in alt Click for higher quality

Chain Catshark

Also known as the chain dogfish, chain catsharks are a nocturnal catshark that get up to 59 cm in length. They're found most commonly in the Northwest Atlantic and Western Central Atlantic. They're generally shy, and harmless to humans, their diet consisting of squid, bony fish, crustaceans, and bristle worms.

But the most interesting thing about them is that they're biofluorescent, and one of only four elasmobranch species with this ability!

Milady: leopard shark (the ground shark one, not the carpet shark)

Spacepunk: whale shark. Friend shaped.

Ack ack: shortfin mako. They look like they would have the same attitude.

S'up s'up: blue shark. He's blue.

Diggety: coral catshark. Just vibes.

Diva: great white. Great white have diva vibes and vice versa.

Bizarbara: angular roughshark. It looks scared.

All banshees: horn sharks or carpet sharks. I know this is really broad but shhhh. Shotzi specifically is a zebra shark.

Trinkulus: gulper shark. They're kinda ugly, but in a endearing way. (I can't think any shark is ugly they're all perfect okay)

Shak graa: giant guitarfish. OKAY this one is actually part of the rays and skates BUT it's a guitar. The cruelty!

Oragala: megalodon. I don't actually remember why this is it. Probably because it's extinct and oragala is a god? Kinda the same idk.

Mother/father: porbeagal shark. It looks like the guy who was father in the show I was in. @daweirdo-applhead. You but a shark.