Types of Sharks in South Africa
Africa, the Dark Continent, has a history that is both intricate and bold. From Ancient Egypt and the Great Saharan Desert to the Zulu wars of South Africa, this continent has been the cradle of civilization and history of humankind. Africa is known for its great beasts: Elephant, Lion, Giraffe, Hippopotamus, to name but a few. It is indeed a dangerous place to live, but has unsurpassed beauty.
In South Africa, you get to more temperate climes, and more beautiful flora and fauna. There are gorgeous coastlands and resorts, and water sports abound. Within this wonder of nature, in the oceans surrounding the southern tip of Africa, live predators that are not seen unless intentionally looked for: the sharks.
Sharks have developed and augmented themselves physically over millions of years, but some have not changed that much at all. Sharks are constructed for efficient swimming and fast prey acquisition. They have specialized scales that reduce drag in the water, and each species of shark has its own style of teeth. For sharks that eat only small fish, you will find slender, sharp, and barbed teeth. For crushing shellfish, broad and thick, and for flesh – sharp and serrated, like a steak knife.
There are around ninety-eight species of shark found in South African waters. Sharks do not have a bony skeleton like most fish, but are comprised of cartilage, a soft, flexible material closely related to bone. The only hard part of a shark is its teeth.
The largest shark found off the coast of South Africa is the Whale Shark, so called because it is the world’s largest fish. It feeds on phytoplankton, or tiny crustaceans, that grow to huge clouds in warm water. This great fish is harmless, but can be as big as thirteen meters, or 42 feet, in length and weigh nearly 12 tons! Thankfully, it does not have an appetite for humans.
There are smaller sharks near the coasts, like the silvertip and dusky shark, which feeds on smaller fish and mollusks such as octopuses. There are several deep-water sharks off the coastal areas of South Africa, but none as famous as Great White sharks. This is the king of all sharks. It is the top predator of the oceans and seas around the South African cape. This large shark, which can reach 7 meters in length (or nearly 23 feet) and weigh 1800 kilograms (close to two tons), will eat anything it feels like eating. Off the west coast of South Africa the primary source of food for these huge fish are seals. They will eat dolphins and large fish, and will never pass on a dead whale carcass.
What makes these Great White sharks so special in South Africa is how they feed. They leap from the water! After months of research, biologists discovered Great Whites rising from the water with their prey in their jaws, off Seal Island near Cape Town, South Africa. There is amazing footage of this activity, and it has never been seen anywhere else in the world. To see a huge fish lunge out of the water nearly twice its body length is truly a wonder of nature. So far, biologists have yet to explain why this behavior exists.
