ID Shark at Isthmus Catalina Island

[cadiver67]

Hello All,

My wife and I were diving at Isthmus this past Saturday and we saw a shark almost 4 feet long. It was swimming about 3' off the ground in the kelp. It was dark grayish blue with even darker stripes. Its nose was rounded not pointy.

We asked back on the boat and everyone said it was probably a leopard shark. Well all the pictures I see on the internet of leopard sharks are more spotted and lighter in color and look leopardish and there really were no spots on this shark. Just dark stripes. The colors were in the dark gray dark blue family. No spotted lighter areas like the leopard shark.

Anyone know what kind it was? Do the leopard sharks start out dark striped and get lighter and more spotty as they get older?

 

[alaity47]

The confusion is that a few different sharks are referred to as "leopard sharks". Here's what we have around here:

Leopard shark - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

But there's also a "Zebra Shark," which I've frequently seen labeled as a leopard shark - it actually has spots more like a leopard. We don't have those around here, though, unless you count the Long Beach aquarium.

 

[Empty V]

What about the infamous jaguar shark?

Billy

 

[kelpmermaid]

Did you get a look at the tail? What shape was that? Where were you at the isthmus?

There have been sightings of soupfins (I have seen them) and they are larger, but the stripe doesn't fit. The tail is really "sharky." I have seen the profile, but not head on, but that probably doesn't fit, either.

 

[cadiver67]

We were west of the marker on Isthmus in about 40' of water where the sandy flats meet a kelpy area.

It probably was a leopard shark - because it did have that shape and look to it - though it was striped and not spotted and it was very dark in color. Who knows ???

 

[drbill]

Leopard sharks are seen on Isthmus Reef. Good chance it was one.

Anastasia... I only know of one local shark species called a leopard shark (several from other parts of the world of course).

 

[AllanHarr]

The area is full of them. There are a few coves where they congragate in less than 20' of water. The local "leopards" or whatever the are, have a heavy coloration difference but are know colloquially as leopard sharks. You'll see more over time...