Distribution of Por Jackson’s Shark

The Port Jackson Shark occurs in southern Australian waters from southern Queensland south to Tasmania and west to the central coast of Western Australia. There are some questionable records of the Port Jackson Sharks being caught as far north as York Sound in Western Australia. The species has been recorded only once from New Zealand.

Studies of Port Jackson Shark genetics suggest there may be two populations in Australia, one occurring from southern Queensland to New South Wales and the second from north-eastern Victoria to Western Australia.

Feeding and diet of Port Jackson Shark

Dietary items include sea urchins, molluscs, crustaceans and fishes. Black sea urchins, Centrostephanus rodgersi are often eaten. Port Jackson Sharks forage for food at night when their prey are most active. They often use caves and rocky outcrops as protection during the day.

When most people think of shark teeth, they think of large, sharp teeth like those in the film ‘Jaws’. Not all sharks have teeth like these. The teeth of the Port Jackson Shark are very different. They are not serrated, and the front teeth have a very different shape to those found at the back of the jaws, hence the genus name Heterodontus (from the Greek heteros meaning ‘different’ and dont ‘meaning’ tooth The anterior teeth are small and pointed whereas the posterior teeth are broad and flat. The teeth function to hold and break, then crush and grind the shells of molluscs and echinoderms.

Other behaviours and adaptations

Port Jackson Sharks have the ability to eat and breathe at the same time. This ability is unusual for sharks, many of which need to swim with the mouth open to force water over the gills. they can pump water into the first enlarged gill slit and out through the other four gill slits. By pumping water across the gills, the shark does not need to move to ‘breathe’. It can lie on the bottom for long periods of time, a behaviour that is observed at breeding time.

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