One Swell Shark

One Swell Shark

We went diving again today in the kelp forest. Our goal was to meet some of the fish who call this special place home! First up is one cool shark! Don’t worry- they are pretty shy and small :)!

Date: 1/18

Location: Kelp forest

Swell Shark Fun Facts:

• Swell sharks get their name from their unique defense mechanism. They grab their tail in their mouth and pump air or water in their stomach and swell to double their normal size.
• They let out a barking noise when releasing the excess air.
• Swell sharks are not strong swimmers.
• They spend their days hiding in caves or crevices.
• Swell sharks are mostly nocturnal and venture out to find prey.

• They lay eggs, called mermaids purses. The eggs are attached to hard structure to stay in play.
• Swell sharks are biofluorescent. They absorb light electromagnetic light waves and re-emit as a different color. This neat adaptation was only discovered a few years ago.

We dove at two separate times -once during the day and once at night. We knew the little swell shark would be out at night. We were so excited to spot on swimming in the water. They are very shy and often when they see divers, freeze. It’s a shark that plays opossum- hehehe!