leopard shark
Pacific coastal predator
A leopard shark is a small, slender shark found along the Pacific coast of North America, named for the dark spots and saddle markings on its back.
Harmless to humans and commonly seen in shallow bays and estuaries, it's a popular aquarium species.
We spotted leopard sharks in the tide pools.
Aquatic respiratory organs
- finsSwimming appendages
- cartilageFlexible connective body tissue
- scalesPlates or weighing devices
- teethEnamel-covered chewing structures
snout · tail · dorsal fin · pectoral fins · spots · spiracles · electroreceptors · streamlined body
Seen or patterned
Seaweed-dominated underwater ecosystem
- estuaryTidal mixing zone
- bayPartially enclosed water
- sandy bottomGrit-covered underwater surface
- mudflatExposed shore sediment
eelgrass · coastal · shallow water · tidal flat · seabed · intertidal · lagoon · continental shelf
Formal education received
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
- scavengingGathering discarded or dead material
- bottom-dwellingInhabiting aquatic floors
- nocturnalActive during darkness
migration · cruising · ambush · filter feeding · mating · pupping · sluggish · docile
Large storage vessel
- exhibitItem publicly displayed
- displayPresentation for viewing
- viewingAct of watching something
- filtrationSeparating solids from liquids
feeding · touch pool · public aquarium · captive breeding · education · docent · husbandry · acclimation
Interconnected organisms and surroundings
- marine biologyStudy of sea organisms
- ichthyologyScientific study of piscine life
- food webInterconnected predator-prey relationships
- predator-preyEcological consumption relationship
crustaceans · clams · shrimp · conservation · nursery habitat · endemic · biodiversity · bycatch
gills
Aquatic respiratory organs
teeth · snout · tail · dorsal fin · pectoral fins · spots · spiracles · electroreceptors · streamlined body · countershading
spotted
Seen or patterned
kelp forest
Seaweed-dominated underwater ecosystem
- estuaryTidal mixing zone
- bayPartially enclosed water
- sandy bottomGrit-covered underwater surface
mudflat · eelgrass · coastal · shallow water · tidal flat · seabed · intertidal · lagoon · continental shelf · Pacific coast
schooling
Formal education received
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
- scavengingGathering discarded or dead material
- bottom-dwellingInhabiting aquatic floors
nocturnal · migration · cruising · ambush · filter feeding · mating · pupping · sluggish · docile · camouflage
tank
Large storage vessel
filtration · feeding · touch pool · public aquarium · captive breeding · education · docent · husbandry · acclimation · quarantine
ecosystem
Interconnected organisms and surroundings
- marine biologyStudy of sea organisms
- ichthyologyScientific study of piscine life
- food webInterconnected predator-prey relationships
predator-prey · crustaceans · clams · shrimp · conservation · nursery habitat · endemic · biodiversity · bycatch
- California Sea Lifesea otter, sea lion, harbor seal, gray whale, abalone
- Cartilaginous Fishray, rays, skate, skates, stingray
- spotted animalsdalmatian, cheetah, jaguar, giraffe, ocelot
- Pacific fishPacific salmon, chinook, coho, sockeye, pink salmon
- sharksblacktip, bonnethead
- houndsharkssmooth-hound, Iago
leopard sharkgreat white shark
Largest predatory fish
bull shark · tiger shark · whale shark · basking shark · man-eater
leopard sharkgreat white shark
Largest predatory fish
whale shark · basking shark · tiger shark · megalodon · bull shark