Biology

The broadnose sevengill shark cowsharks (Notorynchus cepedianus) are easily recognizable by the fact that they have seven gill slits opposed to five like most other shark species. They have a single dorsal fin located far back. Their colour varies from dark grey and brown with black or white spots splattered over their dorsal surface. They can reach lengths of up to 3 meters and weigh up to 700 pounds. Males reach sexual maturity around 1.5 meters and females around 2.2 meters. Their diet is very similar to the white sharks and consists of smaller species of sharks, rays, fish and seals. An interesting fact about their teeth is that their cutting teeth are on their bottom jaw opposed to the top jaw like it is with white sharks.

Other species to see on the dive

The kelp forests are home to at least six different species of shark. These include spotted gully sharks, leopard shysharks, dark shysharks, puffadder shysharks and pajama sharks.