The Puffeadder Shyshark also referred to as Happy Eddie, is a commonly misidentified shark found in the southeast Atlantic Ocean and the western Indian Ocean, at depths ranging from one to 130 meters.
Puffadder Shyshark’s Biology and Behaviour
Shysharks are long, thin sharks that live at the bottom of the seafloor in sandy or rocky areas off the coast of South Africa.
They have a sandy brown underside with seven reddish-brown saddles defined in black and several little dark brown and white markings between saddles. They have a nictitating membrane in their oval cat-eyes and a slender rounded snout. Their five pairs of gill slits are located at the top of their bodies, and their dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins are all of the same sizes. Their upper jaw has roughly 26-30 tooth rows and their lower jaw has about 27-33 tooth rows.
When threatened, puffadders, like the dark Shyshark, coil into a circle with their tails covering their eyes.
Bony fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods are their main sources of food.
Lifespan and Reproduction of the Puffadder Shy Shark
Female Puffadder Shysharks lay one or two eggs at a time and are oviparous. Shysharks hatch after three months and are roughly nine centimetres long when they are born. They mature at a length of 35 to 55 cm and can reach a maximum of 60 cm.
Tourism and Conservation
The Puffadder Shy shark is classified as near threatened by the IUCN, although there are presently no protection measures in place for this species.
Source: https://www.sharkwater.com/shark-database/sharks/puffadder-shyshark/
Images:
Manoellemos
By derekkeats – Puffadder shyshark, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14968779
