Gummy Shark

About the Gummy Shark

The Gummy shark is an inshore and offshore shark found in temperate waters. This species is native to the Eastern Indian Ocean commonly found in areas like; southern Australia, northern New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria

Biology and Behaviour:

The Gummy shark is a longer thin shark with a flat wide head and snout. This species of shark has a max length of 157 cm and a max published weight of 30.8 kg. The Gummy shark has been reported to live up to 16 years of age. The Gummy shark have been found at depth of 350 m but commonly around 80 m. They feed on lobster and crab, marine worms and small fishes. The Gummy shark forms schools by sex and size and are capable of long migrations, females traveling longer distances than males.

Reproduction:

Maturing at a range of 85 – 130 cm in length, the Gummy shark are ovoviviparous. Their eggs hatch inside the body with embryos feeding solely on yolk. After a 11-12 development period in the mouther they can have 1 to 38 pups per litter. Pups are 30-35 cm in length.

Conservation

Gummy sharks are abundant, have a low age of maturity, and can have over a hundred pups in their lifetime. Populations are stable and the species is considered “least concern”.

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