Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing leopard sharks. These houndsharks live along coasts of the eastern Pacifc from Oregon to the Gulf of California. They are mostly found in shallow, coastal waters from 13 to 65 feet (4-20m) deep, though they have been spotted as deep as 300 feet (91m) and may swim further away from the coast. Leopard sharks prefer sandy or muddy bottom areas in and around estuaries which are partially enclosed areas of water into which at least one river flows - meaning they’re brackish water places!

Some leopard sharks prefer to stay in mostly the same place while others may travel in nomadic groups which can include other houndsharks as well as rays - who are related to sharks! In size, leopard sharks reach up to six feet (1.8m) in length, though most don’t reach this size. Female leopard sharks are larger than males, however, all leopard sharks are harmless to humans. They’re often described as timid, there are no documented cases of a human being killed by a leopard shark, and, in fact, a person is in more danger by eating this shark than by being eaten by this shark. Leopard sharks, as predators that swim towards the top of the food chain, accumulate mercy in their bodies which can make their meat poisonous to consume!

These sharks are bottom feeders and eat invertebrates like crabs, shrimp, and octopuses though larger individuals may also go after fish such as perch and bat rays. Their teeth are arranged in an overlapping pattern giving them the nick-name “pavement-toothed”. They’ve also been observed taking only chunks out of a meal and leaving the rest, not unlike the cookie-cutter shark we’ve discussed in a previous video. In turn, leopard sharks are predated by marine mammals and larger sharks like white and seven gill sharks.

These sharks are slow growing. Males don’t begin breeding until seven to thirteen years old while females take even longer, not producing a litter until ten to fifteen years old. What’s more, on average the females only live to be about 20 while males may reach 24! Currently, they’re listed as least concern, but they’re also protected from fishing practices that could harm their numbers, so they’re a good example of how conservation can maintain a species population!

Female leopard sharks gestate for 10 to 12 months depending on the water temperature. They keep their eggs inside their body until the eggs hatch at which point the female gives birth to live young. She may have anywhere from four to more than thirty pups, or shark babies, at a time and will immediately find a new partner with which to mate after giving birth. Though she leaves her babies from birth, she leaves them in a safe place where the water is warm, full of food, and free from predators.

There is another shark commonly referred to as the leopard shark, however, it’s also commonly known as the zebra shark. We’ve decided to save zebra sharks for their own episode as I’m sure you all may be curious why a shark obviously covered in spots is named after a distinctly striped animal. So be sure to stay tuned!

Thank you to our Patrons SpikeSpiegel93, Dad, and everyone else for their support of this channel! Thank you to Behla and Elephant for today’s request! For more facts on leopard sharks, check out the links below. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!