SHARKS AND OTHER DEADLY OCEAN CREATURE

DK Delhi
Senior Editor Sreshtha Bhattacharya

Editor Agnibesh Das
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Written by Derek Harvey
Consultant: Dr. Kim Bryan

First American Edition, 2016
Published in the United States by DK Publishing
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CONTENTS

1 2

PRIMEVAL PREDATORS 8 MUD-ROOTING MONSTERS 34

Sea Lamprey 10 Longnose Sawshark 36
Devonian Placoderm 11 Sand Devil 38
Devonian Shark 12 Common Angelshark 39
Devonian Shark 12 Big Skate 40
Carboniferous Shark 14 Common Guitarfish 41
Prehistoric Eel-like Shark 14 Giant Guitarfish 42
Hybodont Shark 16 Small-toothed Sawfish 43
Sharpnose Sevengill Shark 17 Marbled Torpedo Ray 44
Bluntnose Sixgill Shark 18 Lesser Electric Ray 45
Broadnose Sevengill Shark 19 Blue-spotted Ribbontail Ray 46
Frilled Shark 20 Peacock Flounder 48
Spiral-toothed Chimeroid 20 Lesser Weever 48
Carboniferous Spiny “Shark” 22 Sand Stargazer 50
Cretaceous Chimaera 23 Biting Reef Worm 51
Australian Ploughnose Chimaera 24
Pacific Longnose Chimaera 25
Rabbitfish 26
Giant Jurassic Bony Fish 28
Alligator Gar 28
Coelacanth 30
Cretaceous Plesiosaur 31
Jurassic Ichthyosaur 32
Megalodon 33

3 4

DEVILS OF THE DARK 52 KILLERS BETWEEN THE TIDES 72

Velvet-belly 54 Zebra Bullhead 74
Angular Rough Shark 54 Horn Shark 75
Greenland Shark 56 Collared Carpet Shark 76
Pygmy Shark 58 Blind Shark 77
Cookiecutter Shark 59 Ornate Wobbegong 78
Kitefin Shark 60 Spotted Wobbegong 79
Spiny Dogfish 60 Cobbler Wobbegong 80
Pelican Eel 62 Tasselled Wobbegong 81
Sladen’s Hatchetfish 63 Epaulette Shark 82
Barbeled Dragonfish 64 White-spotted Bambooshark 84
Sloane’s Viperfish 64 Venus Comb 84
Deep-sea Lizardfish 66 Cone Shell 86
Lancetfish 67 Common Starfish 88
Humpback Anglerfish 68 Southern Blue-ringed Octopus 89
Giant Squid 68
Vampire Squid 70
Giant Pacific Octopus 71

5 6

MUSCLE-MOUTHED GULPERS 90 CRUISERS AND CHASERS 104

Whale Shark 92 Basking Shark 106
Zebra Shark 94 Megamouth Shark 108
Nurse Shark 95 Small-toothed Sandtiger Shark 109
Tawny Nurse Shark 96 Sandtiger Shark 110
Anglerfish 96 Crocodile Shark 111
Psychedelic Frogfish 98 Great White Shark 112
Pink Frogmouth 99 Short-finned Mako 114
Giant Grouper 100 Salmon Shark 115
Stonefish 101 Thresher Shark 116
Common Lionfish 102 Goblin Shark 117
Spotted Eagle Ray 118
PREDATOR POWER Giant Manta Ray 119
Great Barracuda 120
This scale depends on prey size and the Sailfish 121
possible danger a predator poses to humans. Atlantic Bluefin Tuna 122
Giant Trevally 123
Predators that feed on planktonic animals; Humpback Whale 124
also parasites that may not kill their victims. Sperm Whale 126
Leatherback Turtle 127
Predators that target small invertebrates and Box Jellyfish 128
small fish, up to the size of mackerel. Lion’s Mane Jellyfish 129
Portuguese Man o’ War 130
Predators that target and kill medium-sized Barrel Shrimp 131
prey, bigger than mackerel.
SCALES AND SIZES
Predators that kill small or medium-sized prey,
but have venom that could kill bigger animals. Profiles of sharks and other creatures have
scale drawings to indicate their size.
Predators that target large prey up to the
size of big mammals, potentially humans. 8 in (20.3 cm) 6 ft (1.8 m) 6 ft (1.8 m)

7 8

INSHORE MARAUDERS 132 PREDATORS OF THE REEF 166

Australian Swell Shark 134 Blacktip Shark 168
Small-spotted Cat Shark 134 Oceanic Whitetip Shark 169
Coral Cat Shark 136 Silky Shark 170
Pyjama Shark 137 Dusky Shark 171
Red-spotted Cat Shark 138 Galapagos Shark 172
Puffadder Shy Shark 139 Caribbean Reef Shark 173
Grey-spotted Cat Shark 140 Blacktip Reef Shark 174
Black-mouthed Cat Shark 141 Gray Reef Shark 175
Big-eyed Hound Shark 142 Bronze Whaler 176
Tope Shark 142 Blue Shark 177
Leopard Shark 144 Whitetip Reef Shark 178
Starry Smooth Hound 145 Great Hammerhead 180
Gummy Shark 146 Scalloped Hammerhead 182
Banded Hound Shark 146 Crown-of-Thorns Starfish 183
Tiger Shark 148 Green Moray Eel 184
Lemon Shark 149 Humphead Wrasse 185
Bull Shark 150 Brain Coral 186
Sarcastic Fringehead 152 Magnificent Sea Anemone 187
Atlantic Wolf-Fish 153 Harlequin Shrimp 188
Killer Whale 154 Anna’s Sea Slug 189
Leopard Seal 156
Southern Elephant Seal 157 REFERENCE 190
Sea Otter 158 GLOSSARY 204
Emperor Penguin 159 INDEX 206
Saltwater Crocodile 160 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 208
Sea Snake 162
Nautilus 163
Peacock Mantis Shrimp 164
Smooth-clawed Pistol Shrimp 165

PRIMEVAL
PREDATORS

Sharks first swam the oceans well before the time of the
dinosaurs, but other meat-eaters have hunted in these
waters even longer. Some prehistoric predators, such as
reptilian ichthyosaurs, were quite different from creatures
alive today, but others were the ancestors of living animals,
including sharks. A few primeval predators, such as the
frilled shark, still lurk in the ocean depths.

SELAAMPREY DATA FILE

Petromyzon marinus PREDATOR POWER

Lampreys are jawless fish that have SIZE: Up to 35.4 in (90 cm) long
scarcely changed in hundreds of millions
of years. Like most other lampreys, the DISTRIBUTION: Coastal waters of
adult sea lamprey—the biggest of all—is a North Atlantic Ocean and western
blood-sucking parasite of other fish. Adults Mediterranean Sea
migrate into rivers to breed, where their DIET: Larvae are filter-feeders;
eggs hatch into a kind of filter-feeding adults feed as parasites on blood
larva called an ammocoete— of other fish
found only in lampreys.
Rings of pointed, hornlike
teeth scrape at the side of
prey to draw blood

Sucker-like, jawless
mouth clamps on
to side of fish

Primeval predators The sea
aoltsatroamdmcpokerlwpetiyhmhimnaelsase.ys

Sea lamprey, side view
10

DEPVOLANICANODERM Hinged connection
between head
Dunkleosteus sp. and body

Dunkleosteus, side view

mtDabwhuyiahtntheikotaeslfevtsaeorhesgrntaiervrgeukatas.lhe’tsd

Massive, sharp jaws had the
strength to bite through prey
that had thick armor

The armor-plated placoderms were DATA FILE Primeval predators
among the first vertebrates with biting
jaws, and so were the first predators PREDATOR POWER
to dominate the oceans before the
evolution of modern sharks. Their jaws SIZE: Up to 19.7 ft (6 m) long
actually worked more like a giant beak.
Massive Dunkleosteus, known from its DISTRIBUTION: Oceans and seas
fossilized head and body shields, was in areas now in North America,
an early top predator from the Europe, and northern Africa
Devonian Period (419–358 mya). DIET: Fish and large invertebrates,
including those with armor

11

DESVHONAIARNK topTsomhwrteihasayeylswldmhoahswahvoleleal-derk.

Cladoselache sp. Anvil-shaped
“spine brush”
Cladoselache belongs to a group of
Primeval predatorsprehistoric sharks that existed in the
Devonian Period (419–358 mya) and
which became extinct well before modern
sharks evolved. They had some features
that set them apart from later sharks,
such as sparsely-scaled skin, but they
were formidable ocean hunters, and
could swim at great speed.

DESVHONAIARNK

Stethacanthus sp.

The remarkable “spine brush”
on the back of this early shark
from the Devonian Period was
made up of a tight bundle of hard,
mineralized rods that seemed to
spring from the base of the front
dorsal fin. The fact that only male
sharks had this structure may mean
its purpose was to attract mates.

12

Spine in front of
each dorsal fin

Smooth skin lacked the DATA FILE
prickly denticles that make
the skin of modern sharks PREDATOR POWER

rough like sandpaper SIZE: Up to 6.6 ft (2 m) long

DISTRIBUTION: Oceans and seas
in areas now in North America
DIET: Fish, as indicated by
fossilized prey found in
the stomach

caPwrerhcietiopdroaafllfaoinnnsg DATA FILE
uncertain
function. PREDATOR POWER

SIZE: Up to 3.3 ft (1 m) long

DISTRIBUTION: Oceans and seas
in areas now in North America
and Europe
DIET: Probably fish and crustaceans

Primeval predators

13

CASRHBOANRIFEKROUS

Falcatus falcatus

Males and females of this shark from the
Carboniferous Period (358–298 mya) looked
very different. Only males had the
unusual, forward-pointing head
spine. It had disproportionately
big eyes, perhaps suggesting it was an
active predator that relied on good vision
to catch or ambush its prey in cloudy water.

PRSEHHISATRORKIC EEL-LIKE Tshpisinsehamrak’ys
vheanvoembeoeuns.
Xenacanthus sp.

Primeval predators The long-bodied fossils of this fish show that
it might have swum like an eel. This shark
from the Permian Period (298–252 mya)
differed from all living sharks in that it had
an elongated dorsal fin running along the
length of its back, which was connected to
the tail fin. Unusually for sharks, it seems
to have lived in swampy areas rather than
in the ocean.

14

Spines of males may have Big eyes
been used in mating or to

show off to other males

This was DATA FILE
smporanelehleiosstftotorhfiecall
PREDATOR POWER
sharks.
SIZE: Up to 11.8 in (30 cm) long

DISTRIBUTION: Oceans and seas in
areas now in western North America
DIET: Shrimps

Spine projecting from back of head

Large pectoral fin DATA FILE Primeval predators
typical of sharks
PREDATOR POWER

SIZE: Up to 3.3 ft (1 m) long

DISTRIBUTION: Swamps, lakes, and
rivers in areas now in USA, Europe,
and India
DIET: Probably fish and
small crustaceans

15

HYSBHODAORNTK mtsohkraHeenylebbitnooodnonuetwsh-’lesairkse
sharks.
Hybodus sp.

Of all the sharks that appeared before the dinosaurs,
Hybodus, from the Permian to Cretaceous Periods, was
one of the most similar to modern sharks and its fossils
are widespread. It had sharp front teeth for grabbing
prey and blunter ones at the back for crunching, similar
to modern snail-eating sharks.

Sharp spine in front of
each dorsal fin, as in
some modern sharks

Primeval predatorsTorpedo-shaped body Cutting and grinding
similar to modern sharks teeth in large jaws
for grasping and
16 crushing prey

DATA FILE

PREDATOR POWER

SIZE: Up to 6.6 ft (2 m) long

DISTRIBUTION: Shallow seas and
freshwaters worldwide

DIET: Probably fish and
invertebrates, including
hard-shelled prey

SHSAERPVNEONSEGILL SHARK

Heptranchias perlo

Large eyes One of just two species of living sharks with
seven gills (the other being the broadnose
sevengill shark), this hunter is also one of
the smallest of the living “primitive” sharks. The
sharpnose sevengill spends much of its time
in deep water, but is speedy enough to prey
on other small sharks, and has enlarged

eyes to help it see in dark water.

DATA FILE Seven gill slits Primeval predators
unlike most sharks,
PREDATOR POWER which have five

SIZE: Up to 4.6 ft (1.4 m) long kwTnhsshooeeemwvsnehencnatatgirmuopilgnlbehoisistts.ee

DISTRIBUTION: Coastal waters of 17
Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans,
and Mediterranean Sea
DIET: Fish (including other small
sharks), squid, and cuttlefish

BLSUNIXTNGOISLEL SHARK

Hexanchus griseus

Single dorsal fin near
the rear, like in other
primeval sharks

Twmhiiasodliselstssoghpnlaroeerbkaosadf.lotlhyfe

Six gill slits on the side
of the body, unlike most
sharks, which have five

Primeval predatorsThe biggest living primeval shark, theDATA FILE
bluntnose sixgill shuns the sunshine
and sticks instead to deep, darker PREDATOR POWER
waters. It stays close to the bottom
and usually only rises upward at SIZE: Up to 15.7 ft (4.8 m) long
night. Sometimes it follows migrating
fish into shallow bays that are dimmed DISTRIBUTION: Deep waters
by blooms of plankton, grabbing the in oceans worldwide and
occasional seal along the way. Mediterranean Sea
DIET: Fish (including other
18 sharks), squid, crustaceans,
and sometimes seals

BRSOEAVDNEONSEGILL SHARK

Notorynchus cepedianus

Blunt, Dark spots are common,
pointed snout while some sharks may
have white spots on
Broadnose darker backgrounds
wtteoosaerhkmvuetnnuotgpgsieealltanshldse.r

Unlike other living primeval sharks, DATA FILE Primeval predators
the broadnose sevengill likes to
prowl along coastlines. Here, where PREDATOR POWER
the churned-up waters are murky,
this hunter relies on poor visibility SIZE: Up to 9.8 ft (3 m) long
to take its prey by surprise. It even
pokes its head out of the water DISTRIBUTION: Temperate coastal
to watch for prey, such as seals, waters of the Americas, South
closer to shore. Africa, Asia, and Australasia
DIET: Fish (including other sharks),
seals, and dolphins

19

FRSILHLEADRK This shark has green
eyes, like many others
Chlamydoselachus anguineus found in deep water

The frilled shark resembles a First gill slits meet
storybook serpent. It swims under the head
slowly by rippling its long body, to form a frill
but stays in deep, dark water, so
is rarely seen alive. Its mouth is
filled with three-pronged teeth
that may act like little grappling
hooks for grabbing slippery prey,
such as squid.

SPCIRHALI-MTOEORTHOEDID Xt-thraoaiSnswcyahieeotudonrnmktftiosoeystru.ss’tsils

Primeval predatorsHelicoprion sp.

This prehistoric relative of living
chimaeras had a spiral blade in the
floor of its mouth. The “tooth-whorl”
on this blade probably spun
backward as the lower jaw closed,
but fossils show no wear on teeth.
This suggests that Helicoprion fed
on soft-bodied prey, such as squid.

20

plsoFrhaeennagmgrdnkaa-asalsenm-tthhfarfarioylellfrbeead-es Single
years. dorsal fin

Eel-like body DATA FILE

PREDATOR POWER

SIZE: Up to 6.5 ft (2 m) long

DISTRIBUTION: Deep-ocean
waters worldwide
DIET: Fish, including other sharks,
and squid

Upper jaw fixed to DATA FILE
braincase, like in
PREDATOR POWER
modern chimaeras
SIZE: Probably up to 13.1 ft
(4 m) long

DISTRIBUTION: Oceans and seas
in areas now in North America,
Eurasia, and Australia
DIET: Probably soft-bodied prey,
such as squid

Whorl probably Primeval predators
retained its teeth,
instead of shedding
and replacing them
like in modern sharks

21

CASRPBOINNIFYER“OSUHS ARK”

Acanthodes sp.

Spiny “sharks,” from the Carboniferous
Period (358–298 mya), had strong spines
to support their fins. However, these were
not true sharks. Their spines were made of
bone, suggesting that the animals might
have been related to bony fish, rather than
to cartilaginous sharks. They also lacked
teeth, so they probably filtered plankton
rather than biting prey.

Body covered in tiny scales

CRCETHACIMEOAUSERA Like living chimaeras,
males had a long projection
Ischyodus bifurcatus (tentaculum) for grasping
females during mating
Even though this fish swam in the
oceans in the Cretaceous PeriodPrimeval predators
(145–66 mya), it was remarkably
similar to the modern ratfish, a
related chimaera that is common
in oceans today. This suggests
that, as a group, chimaeras have
changed very little in more than
70 million years of evolution.

22

Each fin was supported by ohTfahtveheissdpfeiinstheyrmfrienadsy
a single bony spine bigger

Long, tapering, predators.
ratlike tail
DATA FILE

PREDATOR POWER

SIZE: Up to 11.8 in (30 cm) long

DISTRIBUTION: Oceans and seas
worldwide
DIET: Probably small marine
invertebrates and other
planktonic animals

SIsapoclrmhmeyesooessdntputtesodcliaitevhysee.odf Primeval predators

DATA FILE

PREDATOR POWER

SIZE: Up to 3.3 ft (1 m) long

DISTRIBUTION: Oceans and seas
in areas now in North America
DIET: Probably hard-shelled
invertebrates, such as mollusks
and crustaceans

23

AUCSHTRIAMLIAANEPRLOAUGHNOSE

Callorhinchus milii

Shimmering skin

Big pectoral fins
flap like wings and

propel the fish

skthoenaoeCorpthtkhisgtmpherleoeaadtetwherlas,iinkbsaeg’ur.et Hoe-shaped snout is
packed with sensors for

detecting buried prey

Primeval predators Most chimaeras are deep-water fish, DATA FILE
but this one prefers to swim in the
shallower waters along coastlines. PREDATOR POWER
The Australian ploughnose chimaera
uses its peculiar, hoe-shaped snout to SIZE: Up to 4.3 ft (1.3 m) long
probe the mud and sense the activity
of buried, hard-shelled, invertebrate DISTRIBUTION: Coastal ocean
prey. It is sometimes called a ghost waters around southern Australia
shark because of its shimmery skin. and New Zealand
DIET: Mainly mollusks, such as
clams, and other bottom-living
invertebrates

24

PACCIHFIICMLOANGENROASE

Rhinochimaera pacifica

Spear-shaped snout This bizarre-looking hunter is little known and is
is half the length usually seen only as a curiosity when fishing nets
of the body are brought to the surface. The precise purpose
of this chimaera’s long, spear-shaped snout is
not well understood, but, like other chimaeras,
its sensors probably help this bottom-living fish
find buried invertebrate prey.

Broad, winglike,
pectoral fins

Gill openings are covered by This chimaera Primeval predators
a flap called an operculum, lives in
as in all chimaeras
deep-ocean
DATA FILE troughs.

PREDATOR POWER 25

SIZE: Up to 5.2 ft (1.6 m) long

DISTRIBUTION: Deep-ocean waters
around Japan, East Asia, Australasia,
and Peru
DIET: Probably hard-shelled
invertebrates, such as crabs
and mollusks

RABBITFISH Long, mildly-
venomous dorsal
Chimaera monstrosa fin spine inflicts

The rabbitfish belongs to a group of fish called painful wound
chimaeras. Like in sharks, their skeleton is made
from cartilage. However, they split away from
sharks and rays over 100 million years before
dinosaurs appeared. They differ in having a
protective shield, called an operculum, covering
their gill opening, and grinding tooth-plates,
instead of cutting blades, to crush their prey.

Large eyes to see in
deep, dark waters

Snout packedPrimeval predators
with sensors
to help detect
bottom-living prey

26

DATA FILE

PREDATOR POWER

SIZE: Up to 4.9 ft (1.5 m) long

DISTRIBUTION: Coastal waters
of north-western Atlantic Ocean
and Mediterranean Sea
DIET: Mainly hard-shelled
invertebrates, such as crabs
and mollusks

Like sharks, male
chimaeras have a
clasper to help
introduce sperm
into the female
during mating

ictppshinrliTmoamhajtoeeearucesattotrbohafobfr,tmoitlhthim.k-aisey

Primeval predators

27

GIABNOT NJUYRAFSSIISCH

Leedsichthys problematicus

The mega-sized Leedsichthys was a bony
fish, rather than a cartilaginous shark,
but its lifestyle was probably similar
to the unrelated, modern-day whale shark.
Its huge mouth contained gill-rakers for
straining small animals from the ocean
water. So, like the whale shark, this giant
from the Jurassic Period (201–145 mya)
was a gentle filter-feeder.

Enormous set of spiny gill-rakers
in mouth filtered plankton

ALGLIGAARTOR Dorsal fin set Hardened, diamond-
far back on shaped scales, like
Atractosteus spatula long body those found only
in certain primitive
One of the biggest fish of North America’s groups of bony fish
swamps, the alligator gar is a formidable
Primeval predators ambush predator. While it grabs prey
using the double lining of sharp
teeth in its jaws, the hardened scales
on its body act like armor to protect
it from attacks from other animals. It
can even breathe in air to supplement
the oxygen it gets from the water.

28

Long, scythe-shaped DATA FILE
pectoral fins
PREDATOR POWER

SIZE: Up to 55.8 ft (17 m) long

DISTRIBUTION: Oceans and
seas in areas now in Europe
and South America
DIET: Probably planktonic animals,
such as small fish and invertebrates

Leedsichthys
elfaivsrehwgretaehssxtaitstbhthoeeandsy.

DATA FILE

PREDATOR POWER

SIZE: up to 8.2 ft (2.5 m) long

1dSyo0aoeft0maetrmhesbiasafilocglfiiskososhti.nols DISTRIBUTION: Lakes, swamps, Primeval predators
rivers, estuaries, and coastal bays of
southern USA and northern Mexico
DIET: Mainly fish and sometimes
birds and small mammals
swimming at the surface

29

COELACANTH Coelacanths
have not
Latimeria chalumnae
mmilculhicoahnningyee3ad9r0s.
When the first coelacanth was discovered among
a fisherman’s catch in 1938, it caused a sensation.
Before this find, scientists thought this kind of fish
had become extinct with the dinosaurs. Together
with the lung fish, the coelacanth is one of just a few
fish alive today to have the kind of fleshy “lobe-fins”
that helped the first vertebrates to conquer land.

Body covered
in “armor”

of unusually
tough scales

Peculiar, three-lobedPrimeval predatorsFleshy,DATA FILE
tail fin found in very lobe-like
few other kinds of fish pelvic fins PREDATOR POWER

30 SIZE: Up to 6.6 ft (2 m) long

DISTRIBUTION: Deep waters
and rocky caves of western
Indian Ocean
DIET: Fish

CRPETLAECESOIUOSSAUR Albertonectes
had 76
Albertonectes vanderveldei
vertebrae
The prehistoric oceans were home to in its neck.
two main groups of marine reptiles—
the ichthyosaurs and the plesiosaurs. Neck was 23 ft
Unlike the ichthyosaurs, the (7 m) long
plesiosaurs swallowed stones to
counteract the buoyancy of their Two pairs of
lungs. They might have done this flippers propelled
so they could rest on the ocean
floor to grab passing prey. Many the animal
plesiosaurs had a long neck to
help them swipe at shoals of
fish—and Albertonectes had
the longest neck of them all.

Small, pointed teeth DATA FILE Primeval predators
probably grabbed
soft-bodied prey PREDATOR POWER

SIZE: Up to 59.1 ft (18 m) long

DISTRIBUTION: Oceans and seas in
areas now in North America
DIET: Probably fish and soft-bodied,
swimming invertebrates

31

JUIRCAHSSTICHYOSAUR caSostswdeuanalidmoympptoatureodsnrbefyaaarg.nsbiut-lys

Stenopterygius sp.

The ichthyosaurs of the Jurassic Period (201–145 mya)
were among the first big groups of predatory marine
vertebrates to breathe air. Stenopterygius and other
ichthyosaurs would keep coming to the water surface
to breathe. These reptiles evolved as dolphin-shaped
fish-eaters with a fishlike tail. Unlike most other
reptiles, they gave birth to live young in the water.

Single Long, pointed snout,
dorsal fin filled with sharp
teeth for grabbing
32 slippery prey

Two pairs DATA FILE
of flippers
for swimming PREDATOR POWER

Primeval predators SIZE: Up to 13.1 ft (4 m) long

DISTRIBUTION: Oceans and seas
in areas now in Europe
DIET: Fish and belemnoids
(prehistoric relatives of
modern squid)

MEGALODON

Carcharodon megalodon

Teeth could have
been up to five times
bigger than those of
the great white

Torpedo-shaped
body for speedy
swimming

mbatMhinateyyeegahbfaonaiglrivomcgedeeaohoslna.tfd

The largest shark that ever lived appeared DATA FILE Primeval predators
in the Miocene epoch (23–5 mya), a time
when mammals had long since replaced PREDATOR POWER
dinosaurs. Megalodon was a relatively
modern cousin of the great white shark, SIZE: Possibly more than
rather than a genuinely primeval 65.6 ft (20 m) long
predator. It probably evolved to hunt DISTRIBUTION: Oceans and seas
the whales that had begun to appear worldwide
in the oceans at that time. DIET: Large fish and marine
mammals such as whales

33



MUD-
ROOTING
MONSTERS

Most sharks hunt in the ocean’s
mid-waters, but some, including
angelsharks, have a different
lifestyle. They have flat bodies
that hug the seabed, skin colors
that match their background, and
rely on camouflage to catch their
prey. Virtually all rays, the closest
living relatives of sharks, have
made their living this way. Some
bony fishes, such as flatfish, are
bottom-dwellers too.

LOSNAGNWOSSEHARK

Pristiophorus cirratus

Sawsharks use their swordlike snout for both
sensing and killing prey. The snout is packed
with sensors that detect the muscular activity
of small animals buried in sand and gravel.
Once the prey is roused from its hiding place,
the sawshark sweeps its snout from side to
side, cutting the unfortunate victim to pieces.

Long, swordlike snout
has 19–21 large teeth
running along each side

Mud-rooting monstersDATA FILE

PREDATOR POWER

SIZE: Up to 4.9 ft (1.5 m) long

DISTRIBUTION: Shallow
coastal waters of western and
southern Australia
DIET: Small fish and crustaceans

36

“btTaahrsebteeslh”saplrerket’syit
hidden in
sand.

Brownish body
may have darker,
faint blotches

Dark brown lines
run down each side
of the snout

Sensory barbels

Mud-rooting monsters

37

SADNDEVIL

Squatina dumeril

Angelsharks are named for their
broad pectoral fins, which look like
angel’s wings. Their behavior,
however, is anything but angelic.
When disturbed, the sand devil
bites aggressively with its
needlelike teeth. In
northern parts of its
range, it moves
inshore close to
the coast, but
further south it sticks
to deeper water.

Plain, gray
body may have
some darker spots

Mud-rooting monstersgeTtithetssemiatsspganegnarrdaemmdseseeifvvnrieolt.mOne of two smallDATA FILE
dorsal fins near
38 the tail fin PREDATOR POWER

SIZE: Up to 4.9 ft (1.5 m) long

DISTRIBUTION: Coastal waters
of western North America and
Caribbean Sea
DIET: Bottom-living fish,
crustaceans, and bivalve mollusks,
such as clams and mussels

COAMNMOGNELSHARK White,
crisscrossing
Squatina squatina lines disappear
as the shark
Angelsharks look and behave like rays. grows bigger
When prey passes nearby, however, they
turn into formidable hunters. They make a
grab with lightning-fast jaws, and can even
arch their “neck” upward to help with the
catch. This species is found only in Europe,
but other angelsharks are found around
the world.

Grayish or brownish sTtorhinikaseess-ihetteasconrpkntrhecdayo. nifn DATA FILE Mud-rooting monsters
body peppered
with spots PREDATOR POWER

SIZE: Up to 5.9 ft (1.8 m) long

DISTRIBUTION: Shallow
coastal waters of Europe and
Mediterranean Sea
DIET: Bottom-living fish
(especially flatfish and skates),
crustaceans, and mollusks

39

BIGSKATE fooltlbYohojweeuicrnatmgn, nyosoktmhtaeojtuerv.ssitng

Raja binoculata

Two tiny dorsal
fins set far back
on tapering tail

One of two eyelike spots
on the upper surface of
the skate’s body gives it the
scientific name binoculata

Mud-rooting monsters Skates make up nearly half of the DATA FILE
hundreds of species of rays. The big
skate is the biggest one in the waters PREDATOR POWER
around North America. Its rigid,
pointed snout and triangular “wings” SIZE: Up to 7.9 ft (2.4 m) long
give it the shape of a diamond that
is as wide as it is long. It glides DISTRIBUTION: Coastal waters of
gracefully when swimming, but western North America
spends more time partly buried in DIET: Fish and crustaceans
the mud, with just its eyes poking out.

40

COGMUMOITNARFISH DATA FILE

Rhinobatos rhinobatos PREDATOR POWER

Guitarfish have high dorsal fins, like SIZE: Up to 4.9 ft (1.5 m) long
sharks, but a flattened, ray-like body.
They are more closely related to rays DISTRIBUTION: Coastal waters
and share their habit of hunting buried over mud or sand of Mediterranean
animals. The common guitarfish pins Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean
down shrimps and other prey on the DIET: Bottom-living invertebrates
seabed with its pointed snout, before and fish
sucking them into its mouth and crushing
them with its molar-like teeth.

lmiquoAunntimhbdoeoiuilrnrrk’niss-silwphdikueeoespmths.be One of two dorsal fins
near the rear of the body

Pectoral fins
form “wings” on
guitar-shaped body

Mud-rooting monsters

41

GIAGNUT ITARFISH DATA FILE

Rhynchobatus djiddensis PREDATOR POWER

The dorsal fins of this guitarfish are bigger SIZE: Up to 10.2 ft (3.1 m) long
and more sharklike than those of the
related wedgefish, and its pointed snout is DISTRIBUTION: Coral reefs
longer. When hunting in muddy shallows, and estuaries of Red Sea and
the giant guitarfish often comes right up Indian Ocean
into the surf, making it an easy catch for DIET: Crabs, lobsters, bivalves,
fishermen. Because it breeds slowly and squid, and small fish
has a small litter size, over-fished
populations take time to recover.

White spots on Febmirathletsogaive
a brown-gray small litter
background
of just
four pups.

Sharply pointed snoutMud-rooting monsters
42

SMSAALLW-TOFOITSHHED oThftiesnsaswwifmishs
into the
Pristis pectinata mouths
of rivers.

Long snout edged with
row of teeth running
along each side

Eyes much smaller
than those of sawsharks

Although this sawfish is similar to DATA FILE Mud-rooting monsters
sawsharks, its downward-facing gill
slits show that it is more closely PREDATOR POWER
related to rays. Like the sawsharks, the
small-toothed sawfish uses its “saw” SIZE: Up to 24.9 ft (7.6 m) long
as a sense organ as well as a weapon.
It sweeps its saw to impale small fish DISTRIBUTION: Coastal waters and
and then scrapes off the injured prey estuaries of Atlantic, Indian, and
on the sea bottom to eat it. Pacific oceans
DIET: Fish and shellfish

43

MATROBRLEPD EDO RAY

Torpedo marmorata

The torpedo ray stuns prey by firing DATA FILE
electric shocks into the water, but it
also uses the shocks for self-defense. PREDATOR POWER
It arches its belly outward to make the
shock spread out more effectively. It SIZE: Up to 3.3 ft (1 m) long
generates up to 200 volts, enough to
knock another fish senseless or give a DISTRIBUTION: Coastal waters over
painful jolt to a human. reefs and seagrass of eastern Atlantic
Ocean and Mediterranean Sea
DIET: Bottom-living fish
and invertebrates

Round dorsal
fins over tail

Marbled pattern camouflages
this ray from prey on sea bottom

Mud-rooting monsters tsthhheieoTsvhycerakenayoerbedrleegebfcavootnerrrislencoo.pf

44

LEESSLEERCTRIC RAY DATA FILE

Narcine bancroftii PREDATOR POWER
SIZE: Up to 23.6 in (60 cm) long
This species belongs to a family of DISTRIBUTION: Tropical coastal
electric rays that are sometimes called waters of western Atlantic Ocean
numbfish. Numbfish are generally smaller and Caribbean Sea
than the related torpedo rays and give DIET: Mainly marine worms
weaker electric shocks, more in self-
defense, rather than to stun prey. As toeRcleaowcymtistrmhimc ouashnnyoeiuccsaketse
in torpedo rays, the jaws of the lesser another.
electric ray protrude from its head to
grab prey buried in mud and silt.

Snout more pointed than
that of torpedo rays

Mud-rooting monsters

45

BLRUEI-BSPBOOTTNEDTAIL RAY Small, prickly
denticles run
Taeniura lymma down the back

The strikingly colored blue-spotted
ribbontail ray often rests among rocks
or stays buried in sand with just its
eyes and sting-bearing tail showing.
The sting has one or two backward-
pointing, venomous spines that can
inflict a painful injury when used in
self-defense. Like other rays, this fish
smothers bottom-living prey
with its flat, disklike body
before eating them.

Bright blue spots
may help disguise the

ray in sun-dappled,
shallow water

Mud-rooting monsters

46

Sting is further back
on tail than is the case
with most other kinds

of stingray

Skin is
mostly smooth

This ray’s
vspeinnoems oarues
up to 2.7 in

(7 cm)
long.

DATA FILE Mud-rooting monsters

PREDATOR POWER

SIZE: Up to 27.5 in (70 cm) long

DISTRIBUTION: Coral reef and sand
flats of Red Sea, and tropical Indian
and west Pacific oceans
DIET: Mollusks, worms, shrimps,
and crabs

47

PEFALCOOCUK NDER Both eyes on left side
in this left-eyed flatfish
Bothus mancus

The peacock flounder is a flatfish that can
change color to match its surroundings.
Like other flatfish, the young that hatch
from eggs look unremarkable. As they
grow, they go through a process of
physical change whereby their eyes end
up on one side of the body. The fish settles
down on the seabed with its eyeless side
flat on the bottom.

LEWSSEEREVER Dorsal fin spines
are connected to
Echiichthys vipera
venom glands
The lesser weever is a particular
hazard for anyone walking barefoot on Eyes on top of head
a sandy beach. This little fish buries itself peer upward to look
in the sand with just its eyes and dorsal fin out for passing prey
poking up. It has sharp, stinging spines, and
Mud-rooting monsters although the fish is scarcely the size of a
goldfish, a sting from those spines can
cause terrible pain.

48