Leopard shark is a coastal shark with striking spots and bands on its body. It lives along the Pacific Coast of North America, from Oregon to Mexico. It occupies a variety of habitats. These include rocky shore waters, kelp forests (underwater clusters of seaweed called giant kelp), mud flats, and estuaries (coastal river mouths).
The leopard shark typically reaches 5 feet (1.5 meters) long. It weighs up to about 40 pounds (18 kilograms). Females grow larger than males.
Leopard sharks often swim together in large schools. These schools usually consist of sharks of the same sex and size. Leopard sharks also form schools with smoothhound or dogfish sharks. Leopard sharks can rest on the sea floor and pump water into their mouth and across their gills. Many other sharks must swim constantly to pass water across their gills.
Leopard sharks feed on small animals that live on the sea floor. Their diet includes crabs, octopuses, shrimp, worms, and a variety of small fish. They typically feed on whatever prey is most readily available. Leopard sharks are preyed upon by larger sharks and marine mammals, such as killer whales and dolphins.
Leopard sharks give birth to litters of up to 36 live young, called pups. They carry their offspring for 10 to 12 months. Newborns are about 7 to 8 inches (18 to 20 centimeters) long.
People fish for leopard sharks both for food and for recreation. This fishing has put pressure on wild populations, which are now closely managed in California. Leopard sharks survive well in aquariums. They may live for more than 20 years in captivity.
