How about giving us some info regarding your favorite shark.
For me it's the Pacific Bluntnose Sixgill shark. I've had 29 encounters and therefore have been able to observe it at length.
It's unusual in that it has 6 gill slits (rather than the more "modern" 5 gill slits) and it has a different pattern/type of teeth from lower to upper jaw. The upper teeth are pointy and are the 'grabbers" and the lower teeth are of the grinding/cutting variety. In many sharks both sets of teeth (upper and lower) are the same.
Girth is the most impressive aspect of this shark once you encounter a specimen longer than 8 feet. The beautiful green eyes are immediately noticeable as well.
The sixgill has a proportionally (very) large tail and although it has a dorsal fin it's small and located closer to the rear of the spine.
They have no iris and therefore no way of regulating incoming light. They are bottom feeders as well as opportunistic feeders. Located in all of the worlds oceans this is generally a deep water shark and isn't commonly at the same depths as divers. There are exceptions and the PNW is one of those exceptions.
The reasons aren't entirely known but there is little difference in temperature between our surface waters and the oceans bottom temp. Due to all of the nutrients in our waters visibility is limited (dark) and this could account for bringing them to shallower waters as well.
The main difference is probably our unique setting inland (90 miles) from the open ocean. In the years when there are more sightings it's believed that they are using Puget Sound as a nursery. Sexual maturity isn't until they are in the 10-12 foot range and sixgills much past the 12 foot range aren't generally encountered here.
This is generally a slow (relatively speaking) shark that when encountered may swim circles around the diver and it's not unusual for them to swim directly under the diver (I don't generally let them swim directly over me).
You can sometimes find smaller sixgills laying on the bottom resting. They don't appear to be aggressive but I'm sure that's more in the vein that a families pet lab isn't generally aggressive but you still shouldn't hit it or take its food! This is a large shark with very impressive teeth.
They do have relatively weak connective tissue joining the jaws compared to many other sharks. This can break if catch and release is allowed. I encountered such a shark once. Its mouth was permanently open...this was a bit disconcerting until I figured out what was going on!
They can move rapidly. I saw a smaller 5 foot sixgill at midnight on one occasion moving as rapidly as the smallest dogfish darting about. This was also the exception to allowing a shark to swim directly over me.
I've seen the skin of a sixgill at our local aquarium and it feels like sandpaper. In the water on a live specimen it doesn't feel like that (to me). It feels like firm plastic.
Due to their large size, their lethargic movements betray their actual speed. One slow move of their tail and it's easy for a diver to not be able to catch up when they are ready to leave and yet they don't appears to be moving rapidly at all.
Around here, during the years when they are most viewable, it's mainly a dusk to dawn sighting at 100 fsw or deeper. They have been sighted up to about 10 am and as the night progresses they do get shallower.
I've seen one at 35 fsw. Most have been 100 fsw - 120 fsw shortly after dusk. When they were around more I saw them in most every month of the year but the larger sharks and the more frequent sightings were in spring and fall.
I think the larger sharks (still immature) were moving around seasonally in our inland waters (including Canadian waters). Once they actually mature and go back to the open oceans I don't think we ever see those again. The actually breeding may not even be done here.
My most memorable sighting was two 10' sixgills simultaneously passing at right angles to us (and each other). It's a strange feeling to have to pick one to follow while turning your back on the other 10' shark!
This is the Shark Forum. There must be other shark enthusiasts here. Tell us about the shark that you know the most about!
For me it's the Pacific Bluntnose Sixgill shark. I've had 29 encounters and therefore have been able to observe it at length.
It's unusual in that it has 6 gill slits (rather than the more "modern" 5 gill slits) and it has a different pattern/type of teeth from lower to upper jaw. The upper teeth are pointy and are the 'grabbers" and the lower teeth are of the grinding/cutting variety. In many sharks both sets of teeth (upper and lower) are the same.
Girth is the most impressive aspect of this shark once you encounter a specimen longer than 8 feet. The beautiful green eyes are immediately noticeable as well.
The sixgill has a proportionally (very) large tail and although it has a dorsal fin it's small and located closer to the rear of the spine.
They have no iris and therefore no way of regulating incoming light. They are bottom feeders as well as opportunistic feeders. Located in all of the worlds oceans this is generally a deep water shark and isn't commonly at the same depths as divers. There are exceptions and the PNW is one of those exceptions.
The reasons aren't entirely known but there is little difference in temperature between our surface waters and the oceans bottom temp. Due to all of the nutrients in our waters visibility is limited (dark) and this could account for bringing them to shallower waters as well.
The main difference is probably our unique setting inland (90 miles) from the open ocean. In the years when there are more sightings it's believed that they are using Puget Sound as a nursery. Sexual maturity isn't until they are in the 10-12 foot range and sixgills much past the 12 foot range aren't generally encountered here.
This is generally a slow (relatively speaking) shark that when encountered may swim circles around the diver and it's not unusual for them to swim directly under the diver (I don't generally let them swim directly over me).
You can sometimes find smaller sixgills laying on the bottom resting. They don't appear to be aggressive but I'm sure that's more in the vein that a families pet lab isn't generally aggressive but you still shouldn't hit it or take its food! This is a large shark with very impressive teeth.
They do have relatively weak connective tissue joining the jaws compared to many other sharks. This can break if catch and release is allowed. I encountered such a shark once. Its mouth was permanently open...this was a bit disconcerting until I figured out what was going on!
They can move rapidly. I saw a smaller 5 foot sixgill at midnight on one occasion moving as rapidly as the smallest dogfish darting about. This was also the exception to allowing a shark to swim directly over me.
I've seen the skin of a sixgill at our local aquarium and it feels like sandpaper. In the water on a live specimen it doesn't feel like that (to me). It feels like firm plastic.
Due to their large size, their lethargic movements betray their actual speed. One slow move of their tail and it's easy for a diver to not be able to catch up when they are ready to leave and yet they don't appears to be moving rapidly at all.
Around here, during the years when they are most viewable, it's mainly a dusk to dawn sighting at 100 fsw or deeper. They have been sighted up to about 10 am and as the night progresses they do get shallower.
I've seen one at 35 fsw. Most have been 100 fsw - 120 fsw shortly after dusk. When they were around more I saw them in most every month of the year but the larger sharks and the more frequent sightings were in spring and fall.
I think the larger sharks (still immature) were moving around seasonally in our inland waters (including Canadian waters). Once they actually mature and go back to the open oceans I don't think we ever see those again. The actually breeding may not even be done here.
My most memorable sighting was two 10' sixgills simultaneously passing at right angles to us (and each other). It's a strange feeling to have to pick one to follow while turning your back on the other 10' shark!
This is the Shark Forum. There must be other shark enthusiasts here. Tell us about the shark that you know the most about!
