Port Jackson Shark

The Port Jackson shark, Heterodontus portusjacksoni, is a nocturnal, oviparous type of bullhead shark of the family Heterodontidae, found in the coastal region of southern Australia, including the waters off Port Jackson. It has a large head with prominent forehead ridges and dark brown harness-like markings on a lighter grey-brown body. Port Jackson sharks can grow up to 1.67 metres (5.5 ft) long.

The Port Jackson shark is a migratory species, traveling south in the summer and returning north to breed in the winter months. They feed on hard-shelled mollusks, crustaceans, sea urchins, and fish. Port Jackson Sharks are quite distinctive blunt headed-sharks that lay eggs. Port Jackson Sharks have harness-like markings which cross the eyes, run along the back to the first dorsal fin, then cross the side of the body. This pattern makes it very easy to identify this species.

Read more about Port Jackson Shark:  Distribution and Habitat, Appearance, Respiratory System, Reproduction, Digestive System, Relationship With Humans, Conservation, Gallery

Famous quotes containing the words port, jackson and/or shark:

    It is by a mathematical point only that we are wise, as the sailor or the fugitive slave keeps the polestar in his eye; but that is sufficient guidance for all our life. We may not arrive at our port within a calculable period, but we would preserve the true course.
    Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    The people are the government, administering it by their agents; they are the government, the sovereign power.
    —Andrew Jackson (1767–1845)

    They will tell you tough stories of sharks all over the Cape, which I do not presume to doubt utterly,—how they will sometimes upset a boat, or tear it in pieces, to get at the man in it. I can easily believe in the undertow, but I have no doubt that one shark in a dozen years is enough to keep up the reputation of a beach a hundred miles long.
    Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)