Horned Shark: Habitat And Characteristics
Have you ever heard of the horned shark? In the depths of the sea live an infinite number of species that surprise us every day.
As for sharks, for example, there are several specimens, each with different characteristics. Would you like to know more about some of them?
Well, in this article we will tell you about the horned shark.
Everything you need to know about the horned shark
Characteristics
Its scientific name is “Heterodontus francisci”.
Although you can imagine it as a huge sea monster, with a gigantic horn, the truth is that it is the smallest shark of all those in the world. In addition, its colors are very special.
This species was recognized in the year 1855 when the first research on horned sharks was carried out by Charles Frederic Girard, work subsequently published in the “Proceedings of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences”.
It has a small but broad head and its muzzle is rounded. Unlike other fish, the horned shark has a membrane in its eyes.
Its jaw is curved and very small: it has between 19 and 26 teeth in the upper part and 18 to 29 in the lower part.
Its body is shaped like a cylinder and although the skin of these animals is covered with dermal teeth, the latter are not harmful at all, but soft.
The colors of its skin are very showy although it usually has a tone with darker spots on the sides.
Its average size is about 1.2 meters, although in general there are few specimens that exceed one meter in length.
Its two fins are sickle-shaped and have a thick spine in the front.
This thorn is less protruding between the horns of sharks that live near coral reefs because due to the friction with them, it undergoes greater wear.
The habitat of the horned shark
Horned sharks are present in the Pacific Ocean in areas of California up to the Gulf of the same name. They have also been sighted in the vicinity of San Francisco, Ecuador and Peru.
They usually live inside coves, 11 meters deep, although when the cold season arrives they approach the beaches that reach 30 meters deep.
However, younger sharks, which do not reach half a meter in length, prefer depths between 40 to 150 meters, and as they grow they move to shallower waters.
As for its movement area, it rarely exceeds 1000 square meters. In fact, the longest distance traveled by a horned shark is believed to have been around 16 kilometers.
When they choose a place to live, they can stay there for life: after migration, they return to their place of origin. Very rare and that few fish do.
Behavior
When we hear the word shark, the first question that comes to mind is whether it is dangerous. The horned shark is not.
In reality, he is a slow and clumsy swimmer, perhaps because his vision is not very clear. It loves being alone and is an active animal at night, when it goes in search of food, while during the day it stays in the same place, which is usually a cave or an inlet.
It feeds on hard-shelled molluscs, such as crabs or sea urchins, for example. Its jaw is believed to be capable of creating a much more powerful bite than it should depending on its size.
What they do is suck their prey, trapping it in their oral cavity and then take it to their front teeth, where they tear it apart with the help of their side teeth.
This is all we can tell you about the horned shark, a work of art of nature that surprised us and that we wanted to share with you.
