Spotted Gully Shark

A stocky, easy-going shark of South Africa's shallow reefs and bays, the spotted gully shark can reach 142 cm and weigh up to 20 kg.

Also known as: spotted speareye, sharptooth houndshark

Other sharks working the same shallow reefs can look similar at a glance. Its short, blunt, rounded snout is the most reliable fixed mark to check, since the black spotting on its back can be sparse or missing on some individuals.

This is a stout-bodied shark with a short, thick, blunt snout and widely spaced nostrils. Its eyes are oval, sitting above ridged skin, and its large mouth has deep grooves at the corners. The fins are notably large and rounded at the tips, with broad, sickle-shaped pectoral fins on adults and a stubby, thick tail base. It is dark grey to bronze above and white below. Young sharks are mostly plain, while adults range from unmarked to thickly covered in irregular black spots.

This shark lives only along the coast of southern Africa, from southern Angola to South Africa's Eastern Cape. It favours sandy bays and flat ground near rocky reefs and gullies, staying close to the bottom from the surf zone down to about 50 metres, though most stay shallower than 10 metres.

The spotted gully shark is active and hunts mainly at night, though it will rest in rocky crevices during the day and sometimes chases prey almost onto the shore. It eats crabs, lobsters, bony fish, and octopus, with young sharks relying more on crabs and adults taking a wider mix of prey. In summer it gathers in groups in shallow water. Larger sharks such as the broadnose sevengill shark prey on it.

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