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Lemon Shark & Lemon Shark Pictures
The lemon shark gets its name because of its pale yellow brown coloring. This medium to large stocky looking shark is found mainly in New Jersey (US) to Southern Brazil, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean the Lemon shark poses little threat to divers and swimmers which makes it popular for open water shark diving. Shark size: Lemon sharks are one of the larger species of sharks, commonly reaching lengths between 2.5-3m. Growth rate is about .5m per year. The largest Lemon shark recorded was 3.6m. Female and male Lemon sharks are similar in size and it's often hard to tell the sex. Habitat: The Lemon shark prefers shallow water, rarely exceeding depths of more that 90m (300ft). Common places you're likely to find a Lemon shark are coral reefs, mangroves, sheltered bays and river mouths. Lemon sharks can be found in oceanic water during migration but tend to stay along the continental and insular shelves. The lemon shark is also known to form loose aggregations based on size and sex and have been seen congregating in shallower water at night and returning to deep water during the day. Locations: Lemon sharks inhabit coastal inshore waters from New Jersey to Southern Brazil, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean and along Senegal and the Ivory Coast of Africa in the eastern Atlantic. There is some evidence that two separate populations exist within the western Atlantic Ocean; one in the Caribbean and one in the Gulf of Mexico. See Lemon shark distribution map below.
Feeding: The lemon shark feeds over sandy sea floors and eats a diet consisting mainly of bony fish and crustaceans. Catfish, mullet, jacks, croakers, cowfish, guitarfish, stingrays, crabs and crayfish are common meals for the Lemon shark. To supplement their diet Lemon sharks will often eat sea birds and smaller sharks. Behavior: Preferring to spend the majority of their time in shallow water, the Lemon shark feeds during the day around shallow sandy bottom and reef areas. Lemon sharks are timid and will often swim away when approached by humans. They're know to form small groups based on a size and sex based hierarchy. These groups often gather around areas where a food source is abundant. The smaller sharks give way to larger sharks and aggression between the sharks is uncommon. Diving with Lemon sharks: Lemon sharks are perfect for open water shark diving. Their numbers are abundant and it's not uncommon to find up to 30 Lemon sharks in one area. This pose little to no threat to humans and divers, and are likely to swim away if approached. There have only been 10 reported Lemon shark attacks and none of them have been fatal. Lemon sharks can easily been seen in shallow water, so only the basic open water scuba diving certification is required. Places to see: Popular destinations for Lemon shark diving include Florida, the Bahamas, Mexico, Belize and Costa Rica. Most dive operators know where to find concentrations of Lemon sharks. In some areas Lemon shark feeding takes place.
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