Page 147 - (DK) Super Shark Encyclopedia: And Other Creatures of the Deep

SHARK ON

THE MOVE

COMMON

TOPE SHARK

You will probably find a tope shark in any ocean you
care to visit: they are among the most wide ranging of
all sharks and are happy in coastal shallows as well as
the open ocean. They prefer low temperatures and move
away from warm waters in hot summers—either toward
the icy poles or down to cooler depths. They are strong
swimmers and can cover great distances in a day. Some
individuals can clock up journeys of thousands of miles
during one of their migrations.

AT A GLANCE

• SIZE 4½–6½ ft (1.35–2 m) long

• HABITAT Shallow coastal ocean waters,
usually near the bottom
• LOCATION Cooler oceans outside the tropics,
mainly near coastlines of continents and islands
• DIET Fish, squid, and octopus; young sharks
also prey on shrimp, worms, and snails

“Tope sharks move

toward the STATS AND FACTS

DISTANCE 35 miles/56 km
(distance traveled per day)
Some tope sharks live
poles in summer permanently near the miles 500 1,000 1,500
equator, but move into km 1,000 2,000 3,000
and the equator deeper, cooler waters recorded migration distance)
1,570 miles/2,525 km (max.
when it gets really hot.
SWIMMING DEPTH
in winter” MAX. LIFESPAN ft 500 1,000 1,500

60 m 0–1,800 ft (0–550 m) 400 600
200

YEARS

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