8 GIANT FISHES 



root of the caudal fin, and the lower lobe of the fin itself is 

 distinct. The coloration is grey above, becoming paler 

 beneath. The young are spotted and blotched with brown 

 or black. 



Grows to a length of 10 to 12 feet. 



The Common Sand Shark (0. taurus) is found in the Mediter- 

 ranean, in the Atlantic and in South African seas. Other 

 species (0. ferox, 0. cucpidatus, 0. owstoni, 0. platensis) are 

 found in the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, Japan, South 

 America, and in Australian and New Zealand seas. Some of 

 these other species appear to grow to a somewhat larger 

 size. 



The Sand Sharks are mostly of small or moderate size, but 

 are of voracious habit, and subsist mainly upon a fish diet, 

 although lobsters, crabs and squids are also eaten. While the 

 vast majority of sharks appear to chase and seize their prey in 

 a more or less haphazard manner, the Sand Shark may be said 

 to be at times distinctly methodical in its manner of feeding. 

 Mr. Coles describes how he saw a school of a hundred or more 

 at Cape Lookout on the coast of New Jersey which surrounded 

 a shoal of bluefishes, and forced them into a solid mass in 

 shallow water, and then the entire school dashed in and 

 attacked the prey. In Australian waters the sharks are said 

 to attacK schools ot the fishes known locally as " Sea Salmon " 

 or " Kahawai " as they migrate northwards in the summer-time 

 near the beaches, causing great havoc among the fish. In this 

 part of the world the two species of Sand Sharks are known 

 respectively as " Grey Nurse " and " Blue Nurse ", and both 

 have the reputation of being dangerous to bathers. The word 

 " nurse ", sometimes written as " nusse ", is simply an ancient 

 term for any large fish, and does not imply that the shark 

 would be reliable with children ! Mr. Stead writes of the 

 Grey Nurse that " these ' wolves of the sea ' rove along the 

 eastern shores of Australia at least in thousands, freely entering 

 harbours ". They are at times a great nuisance to fishermen, 

 especially along the Atlantic coast of the United States, as 

 they bite readily at a hook and are very destructive to nets. 

 They are of little value to man, although the skin makes a 

 good leather. 



