ANGEL SHARK 

The angel shark is a magnificent marine creature, with a flattened body and broad pectoral fins. This ovoviviparous member of the 'Squatinidae' family bears a close resemblance to rays and skates. The angel shark inhabits the warm tropical and temperate seas, feeding on an array of fish and crustaceans.
Marine life forms are dominated by presence of the great sharks. These predators-of-the-deep generate a deep influence on the lifespans and behavioral patterns of creatures that co-inhabit the warm waters of the world's temperate and tropical seas. The angel shark is one such gorgeous dweller of the ocean and sea beds. Its broad and flattened body, muscular appearance and dorsal gill slits make it a real visual treat to deep sea divers and marine-bio enthusiasts.
Characteristics 
Angel sharks have inhabited our oceans and seas for millions of years. Today, the genus exhibits an improved anatomy, which is the product of over 400 million years of evolution. There are fifteen different angel shark species currently known and studied by man. The angel shark has large, horizontal pectoral and pelvic fins, generally used for balancing and braking. It has two dorsal fins and unlike others in the genus, the angel shark has a longer caudal fin lower lobe. Under ideal conditions, the genus grows to a length of 8 ft, weighing around 35 kg. The skin color varies from gray to reddish brown or greenish brown, with scattered spots. The young ones exhibit net-like markings, with dark blotches. The angel shark has whisker-like projections or nasal barbels near the nostrils. These projections help the shark to taste and feel. Its large eyes have vertically slit pupils that offer the predator an all-round vision, for an almost perfect ambush every time. Its extensible jaws are lined with long, needle-like teeth that snap rapidly in the upward direction. The Angel shark is nocturnal. It spends most of the day buried in the sea-bed, with only its eyes protruding. It manipulates a position that allows it to dart forward at a startling speed to devour prey. These amazingly beautiful creatures feast of passing fish, croakers, flounder, mollusks, squid and crustaceans. 
The angel shark is ovoviviparous. The litters rarely exceed a dozen pups at a time. The female angel shark retains the eggs inside the body, till they are ready to hatch. After a gestation period of around ten months, the female gives birth to pups not more than 30 centimeters in length. The genus is not normally aggressive, but if interfered with, the angel shark does snap and bite. The shark normally inhabits the sandy sea-bed, but it is also sighted offshore, in the bays along Norway, Mauritania, the Canary Islands, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Alaska, Gulf of California and Costa Rica. It is regularly seen along kelp forest fringes. Its flat body, olive colored blotches, and flat pectoral fins provide the angel shark with a perfect camouflage on the ocean and sea beds.

Interesting Facts about Angel Sharks

• This type of shark exhibits a social behavior that is pretty conservative in contrast to its inherent predatory nature. It is docile on contact and prefers to eat alone.
• Angel sharks don't resemble other sharks. They look more like skates or rays, with their pectoral fins spread out on either side like angel wings. Their physical anatomy is the same as a shark, but somehow managed to get flattened somewhere down the evolutionary line.
• Angel sharks have incredibly sharp teeth and are not afraid to use them on unsuspecting victims who lure near their vicinity, hence the ironic name of Sand Devil. If a diver exposes it completely by fanning the sand away from an angel shark's back, it is still reluctant to move. An angel shark is known to lie in wait for over a week until the right food passes by!
• The Japanese angel shark, which reaches 2 meters (6 feet) long is known to be the largest angel shark. It is hunted for food and was also used to make shark skin sandpaper. Baring one species which prefers to inhabit deep waters of up to 4,200 feet, most angel sharks tend to live in shallow temperate and tropical seas all over the world.

The angel shark is migratory. It is observed to prefer the northern waters during the summer months. Even though larger sharks like the great white shark will prey upon the angel shark, unfortunately man is its greatest enemy. Since 1978 the commercial interest in fishing of angel sharks went through the roof due to the marketing of this shark species as a heavenly delicacy. By 1986 about 2 million sharks were caught, this along with slow growth rate has pushed the angel shark on the verge of extinction. Research and conservation measures are now being implemented to assure the survival of the unusual and distinctive shark genus. Projects such as 'Save Our Seas', 'Aware' and 'The Shark Trust' are committed to the conservation of these enigmatic creatures that enrich marine fauna.
 










Identification:
Light brown to grey flattened body with scattered small dark spots. Larger spots form irregular ocelli. Light margin may be visible around edge of dorsum. Terminal mouth with paired barbells and one pair of lightly fringed nasal skin flaps.
Size: At birth 25-26cm. At maturity 100cm. Maximum recorded size 152cm.
Habitat: 
Often found in shallow bays on sand or mud bottoms. Regularly around rocks sometimes near kelp. Depth range from 1-200m but usually shallow down to 100m.
Abundance and distribution:
Eastern Pacific. From Alaska to the Sea of Cortez and Ecuador to southern Chile. The southern population may be a different as yet undescribed species. Some researchers suggest that due to their  very small home ranges there may even be distinct sub-species within the overall northern populations.
Diet:
Angel Sharks are ambush predators that lay in wait partially buried in the sand. Their diet includes bass, croaker, flatfish, mackerel, and sardines. In early winter when the squid spawning begins they feed primarily on squid which die after spawning and therefore easy to catch.
 











Behavior:
Angel sharks choose their resting sites based on their success at ambush hunting in a particular spot. Once selected they use their pectoral fins to dust away enough sand to create a depression that they can settle into. If hunting is good they will remain in the same spot for extended periods.
Falls prey to Great White Sharks and Sevengill Sharks.
Reproduction:
Ovoviviparous with no yolk sac placenta. Recorded litter size from 1-13. Little is known about Angel Shark mating behavior.
Similar species:
Although certain sub-populations of Pacific Angel Sharks may be distinct species, as yet none have been scientifically described and no other Angel Sharks share Pacific Angel Shark's range.
Reaction to divers:
Remains completely motionless relying on camouflage. Reluctant to move even when a diver exposes it completely by fanning the sand away from its back. Will bite anything including a divers hand or foot if it strays too close to the angel sharks mouth (within about 15cm).
Diving logistics:
Pacific Angel Sharks were becoming more and more difficult to find until the gill net fishery was banned during the mid 90s. Now populations are rebounding and a resident community exists at Tajiguas Beach near Santa Barbara, CA. Enter from the beach and swim along the sand outside of the kelp forest looking for small dorsal fins poking up or the vague outline of the whole animal as it lays in wait.
What Do Angel Sharks Eat 
They tend to camouflage themselves in muddy sands, rocky areas or patch reefs during daytime. Some of the most common angel sharks preys include squids, small fish, octopus, and crustaceans. These species are sit-and-wait predators. These fish often prey on mollusks, croakers, hake, halibut, peppered shark, corbina, blacksmith, flatfish, and other kinds of bony fishes. They seldom take on invertebrates other than those mentioned above.
Where Do Angel Sharks Live
The angel sharks have an extensive distribution around the globe with species inhabiting across the tropical waters to the cold northern boreal waters, and are often found in deep waters. Most of these species are active during night; they are considered to be bottom-dwellers and are known to prey on species that are hidden under the sand with the help of their trap-like jaws. Two of these species exist in the North America; the pacific Angel Shark and Eastern Angel Shark. These species are best known for their in-depth swimming at 1,300 meters in tropical sea waters. They primarily feed on small bottom fishes.
Reproduction 
A very few facts came to the fore regarding angel sharks mating behavior; however, according to the available data the mating of these species begins in summer season. The young sharks tend to develop inside the female mothers. The gestation period lasts for about 10 months and the usual births take place in the months of June and March. The females litter 6 – 10 pups. These pups are 9ft 8 inches (25 cm) long at birth. Not more than 20% of angel sharks reach their maturity before they fade away.


Pat your back and be ready for some of the most interesting and useful angel shark facts including angel shark diet, habitat, reproduction, species, and physical appearance. The angel sharks belong to the family of Squatinidae in the order of Squatiniformes. These sharks are types of fish that have stretched-out bodies along with the wide pectoral fins that largely resembles with the rays. There are around 16 species that fall under the genus Squatina with the same family. The angel sharks inhabit all throughout the tropical and temperate waters of the world. One of these species is known to exist in deep shallow waters at a depth of about 1,300 meters (4,300 feet). The angel sharks are not considered to be dangerous to humans but one should not approach them as they have a powerful bite force and pointed teeth. Angel sharks are typically termed as ‘Bottom-Dwellers’.
Natural History
At first glance, this shark looks like its cousins—rays and skates—with its flattened body and large pectoral fins. But unlike those animals, an angel shark’s pectoral fins aren’t totally attached to its body, its gill slits wrap around the side of its head and it has a large mouth in front (rather than on the bottom of its head). An angel shark also has an unusual tail fin—the lower lobe is longer than the upper lobe. Most sharks’ tail fins look more top heavy.

An angel shark spends its day buried in the sand, perfectly camouflaged by its gray, brown and black coloring. It lies there in ambush, waiting for small fishes to swim within gulping distance. When an unsuspecting fish comes near, the shark lunges upward, sucks the fish into its huge mouth and swallows it whole.
Conservation
Before 1978, angel sharks were usually thrown back when caught. But this changed dramatically when a Santa Barbara fish processor decided to promote the angel shark as a tasty morsel. After a slow start, the angel shark became so popular that the 366 pound (166 kg) catch in 1977 increased to 350 tons (318 metric tons) in 1984. As a result the population of angel sharks rapidly decreased. Now there are limits on the minimum catchable size for angel sharks, and gillnet fishing is banned inshore of three miles (4.8 km).
Cool Facts
To get enough water flowing over their gills, some sharks—like hammerheads—must swim to breathe. However, most bottom-dwelling sharks, like angel sharks, have muscles that pump water over their gills and through spiracles (holes) in their heads. This allows bottom-dwelling sharks to snooze quietly on the bottom or wait in ambush for prey without moving.
Even though bottom-dwelling sharks are usually gentle, picking up what appears to be a ray or a dead angel shark can be dangerous. The shark will probably raise its head and quickly inflict a painful wound with its sharp teeth.

Species





Diet and Location
The Angel Shark lives in the pacific ocean. They tend to stay on the bottom of the ocean. It stays near the eastern Pacific from southeastern Alaska to the Gulf of California. It also lives near Costa Rica to southern Chile. It lives in tropical to sub-tropical temperature. Its diet consists of Fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. It will ambush its prey by hiding in the sand and mud of the ocean floor.
Behaviors
The Angel Shark will sleep in mud and sand. They are very solitary animals and prefer to be alone. They also hunt alone and won't bother each other. Angel Sharks also won't attack humans unless provoked. Also, in order to hunt for prey, they will use an ambush technique that surprises their prey and just swallow it whole.
Biology
Like other members of this family, the Pacific angel shark spends its days lying partially buried in sand or mud, snapping up its head and protruding its jaws at a surprising speed to ambush prey, such as bottom-dwelling fishes and squids. Whilst it does not pose a great danger to humans, its habit of lurching out to grab prey with its powerful jaws and needle-sharp teeth, can also be employed if touched or provoked, inflicting a serious bite on the diver (2). The Pacific angel shark becomes active at night, although does not swim long distances, when it will forage under the cover of darkness, thus still retaining the advantage of ambushing prey (4). The Pacific angel shark is an ovoviviparous fish; the embryos develop inside eggs that remain within the mother's body for nine to ten months until they hatch. Females produce litters of six to ten pups, of which only 20 percent are likely to survive to reach maturity at 10 to 13 years old 
Geographic Range
Squatina californica, commonly known as the Pacific angel shark but also referred to as the "monk fish" or "sand devil" is found in a fairly limited geographical range. Pacific angel sharks inhabit the Eastern Pacific ocean, ranging from Costa Rica to Southern Chile and also from Southeast Alaska to the Gulf of California (Baja), though it is unusual to encounter these sharks north of California between Oregon and Southern Alaska (Smith 2004). The Pacific angel shark is absent along the southern part of Mexico and most of Central America (i.e. Squatina californica is not found south of the Gulf of California or north of Costa Rica)
Ecology
Pacific Angelsharks are relatively small, bottom-dwelling elasmobranchs, which commonly remain partially buried on flat, sandy bottoms during the daytime, but which can become active at night (Leet et al. 1992, 2001). They are primarily piscivores, apparently waiting for vulnerable prey to swim overhead. In southern California, they are reported to eat croakers, damselfish and squid (Leet et al. 1992, 2001), but their diet extends to pelagic fishes as well. Numerous techniques of ageing and age verification have been used on Pacific angelsharks, but none except tag-recapture have been successful at estimating their growth rates or age-specific processes (Natanson and Cailliet 1990, Cailliet et al. 1992). These tag-recapture data, however, allowed an estimate of von Bertalanffy growth and demography parameters that predicted relatively slow growth and moderate fecundity, with maturity occurring relatively late in life. Reproduction starts in both males and females at about 90?100 cm TL or ~13 years of age, with gestation taking approximately 10 months, resulting in up to 11 pups (mean of six) per female born between March and June
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