by The Lemon Shark Is a Friendly Shark
Meet the Lemon Shark. The most well-known and researched shark in the science world so far.
The Lemon Shark is a powerful fish with a stocky build. These sharks are particularly fond of social living and they are commonly seen in same-sex, same-size groups. One interesting detail about these groups is that these sharks are relatively peaceful and they don’t ꜰɪɢʜᴛ or ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ each other.This group living habit allows them many benefits like enhanced communication, more successful courtship and breeding, efficient ʜᴜɴᴛɪɴɢ ventures, and better protection from ᴘʀᴇᴅᴀᴛᴏʀs. The lemon shark’s yellow skin color provides perfect camouflage against sandy in-shore areas where it often forages for food. This, along with the shark’s flattened head and short snout, makes the lemon shark a skillful ᴘʀᴇᴅᴀᴛᴏʀ of bony fish, crustaceans and stingrays. Occasionally, this species will also be observed eating seabirds or smaller sharks.
The lemon shark’s retina is also equipped with a specialized horizontal band, or “visual streak,” that allows the shark to see fine detail and color when underwater. Though lemon sharks prefer shallow coastal waters, some individuals have been observed entering fresh water or undergoing migrations through the open ocean. Still, lemon sharks prefer a defined home range and may congregate in groups of up to 20 individuals to feed together at dawn and dusk. During the day, lemon sharks can be observed “resting” on the seabed, waiting for small fish to clean off ᴘᴀʀᴀsɪᴛᴇs from their body, however this behavior takes up more energy than swimming as the shark must continually pump water over its gills to breathe.
They are of minimal ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛ to humans, and they are currently listed as Near ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛᴇɴᴇᴅ by the IUCN. The maximum reported age for lemon sharks is 25 years in captivity and up to 30 years in the wild. This is a medium to large-sized species often reaching between 2.4 meters and 3.43 meters (7.9 to 11.2 feet). And from 90 kg to 183.7 kg (200 to 405 lbs.).
Lemon sharks do not represent a serious ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛ to humans. Though, they may cause ɪɴᴊᴜʀʏ to humans with ʙɪᴛᴇs if they feel ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛᴇɴᴇᴅ. The few times this has happened is when researchers are handling live sharks or when divers disturb them in the water.The lemon shark is typically “accommodating” and will not ʙɪᴛᴇ humans unless it feels ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛᴇɴᴇᴅ.
