Angel Sharks

ANGEL SHARKS ARE AWESOME. They are really a very interesting but little known shark. The way they just fly through the water and there cool looking aerodynamic shape make them one of my favorite animals.

1. There flattened body's and wide pectoral fin make them very strange sharks. This is what gives them such an odd look, and a resemblance to rays and skates. The main difference between them is that an angel sharks head is not part of the pectoral fins and the rays head is completely connected to the rest of the body.

2. Another unusual thing about them is that the lower lobe of there caudal fin is longer than the upper lobe. They have two dorsal fins and no anal fin. There pectoral and pelvic fins are large and horizontal.

3. Angel sharks have five gill slits underneath, spiracles (small holes that lead to there respiratory system) and eyes on top.

4. Their rear retains the muscular appearance more common to other sharks.

5. Angel sharks are oviparous and can have up to 13 pups.

6. They bury them selves in sand/mud and wait for prey to swim over. When it does they quikly snap there extensible jaw upwards to capture the prey with long needle like teeth. An Angel sharks main diet is fish,crustaceans and mollusks. They have long needle like teeth.

7. Angel sharks are ordinarly 5-6 ft long. Males mature after 8 years and females mature after 13 years. An angel sharks maximum life span is 35 years. They can weigh up to 60 pounds.

8. Their predators are larger sharks and even though they are bottom dwellers they can still be a danger to divers who "yank there tail", but you'd have to be pretty stupid to do that.

9. Since 1980 they were caught industrially but now they are under conservation laws because of there low population. There low population is thought to be caused by there slow growth and maturation rate and because humans just have to mess everything up.

 Aren't they just the coolest animal ever!!!! :)