WAYS OF THE WILD.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 33, 8 February 1930, Page 1 (Supplement)

WAYS OF THE WILD.

A NATURALIST'S NOTEBOOK.

more about sharks.

(By A. T. PYCEOFT.)

Izi response to a correspondents quest for information conce.in.ing Zealand sharks this article concludes a short account of the various species of these fish which have been recorded from Zealand wafers.

The basking shark Is perhaps the largest of all fishes and is harmless to man. It is not common in New Zealand waters. In November, ISS9, a specimen measuring over 34 feet in. length wa.; found stranded near the mouth of the Wade River where it and another had been noticed somfi days previously. Some enterprising individuals who secured it towed it to Devonport where it was exhibited for some days, but

owing to decomposition it soon became impossible for a spectator to remain near it. The late Mr. T. F. Cheeseman, who examined it, tells us that- being by far the largest shark ever exhibited at Auckland it attracted considerable attention. It measured 34ft 3in in length, girth fat the middle of the body 20ft 9in, height of first dorsal fin, sft lin; depth of pectoral fin, sft 6in; width across the tail, from tip to tip of the lobes, 7ft 2in. Shark's liver contains a large supply of valuable oil and this the finders of the Wade shark desired to extract. Fifty years ago shark oil commanded a good price; the oil from a shark of this size would often realise from £40 to £50, the liver weighing as much as two tons. The teeth of the basking shark are exceedingly small and numerous. Its food consists mainly of small types of invertebrates and fishes which are strained from the water by means of gill rakers. There are six or seven rows of teeth in each jaw, with about two hundred in each row. The name of "basking shark" has been applied to this fish on account of its peculiar habit of lying motionless in the sunshine on the surface. They are easily approached and harpooned, and on the west coast of Ireland as many as five hundred have been taken in a single season. It is gregarious in its habits and is known from all oceans in' temperate zones.

The Porbeagle Shark, or Grey Nurse.

There is only one published notice of the occurrence of this shark on the Isevr Zealand coast and that is an identification of the teeth by Sir Julius von Haast in 1875, but the Hon. G. M. Thomson states that the species has been occasionally caught in Otago Harbour. Of recent years Auckland newspapers record the catching of sharks of the grey nurse ■species in the Auckland Harbour. I believe that the sharks captured are of a totally different species and that the grey nurse, known for its murderous voracity has not been captured here. The following description of this shark will make its identification easy. The colour is dark slaty grey on the back, merging into black on the edges of the fins, white ; underneath. The iris of the eye is green. , The teeth are long and lanceolate, with sharp lateral edges and resemble the mako's, but can be distinguished by basal cusps -which are absent in the mako's. At the front there are three teeth on each side, the third tooth in each case being poorly developed. Apart from this frontal and outer row, there are four other rows of thirteen teeth each.

Grey nurse sharks in Sydney Harbour have been caugiit up to fifteen feet in length. The species of this genus are very numerous. They axe armed with sharp teeth, broad or narrow, and finely serrated on both edges. Some of the species reach a length of thirty feet. One species is found in Lake Nicaragua, the only fresh water shark known, although some run up the brackish mouth of the Ganges and into Lake Ponchartrain. The Mako. This species reaches a length of from twenty to twenty-five feet. It is strong, swift and voracious. The teeth are arranged in three to four functional Vows. Most teeth are long and lanceolate, and point either directly down the throat or towards the roof of the mouth. Those at the sides are more triangular and those in front narrow. The mako is a good fighter and during recent years has been frequently caught on the rod on parts of the east coast, of the North Island. It is not restricted to New Zealand, being found also at Hawaii, and ranges from there to Japan and westward to the Red Sea. A few of the front teeth were formerly much prized by the Maoris as ear ornaments. So highly were they valued that the writer ha 3 seen a replica in porcelain made in England for trade purposes. The teeth of the porbeagle, minus the basal cusp, which had been removed, were traded to the Maoris as mako teeth. The natives, however, soon discovered the trick. The Tiger and White Shark. I The tiger shark is a dangerous species. A specimen caught on the rod at the Bay of Islands measured twelve feet, but specimens up to sixteen feet have been caught in Australian waters. Mr. Griffin, of the Auckland Museum, 3tates that he has every reason to believe that this shark is fairly plentiful in our waters, where it is known as the shovel-nose on account of its short, flattened head giving the sua at a shovellike appearance when view from tne front. The name tiger snarK has been applied to this fisn because tne stripes on the sides resemble those' of a tiger. The stripes are . not clearly seen when the shark is first captured, but when drv, are plainly observable. Its colour ■3 light slate above, creamy white below, with a pinkish patch on the side over the ventral fin. 'There are about twentytwo teeth in each jaw. They are oblique and deeply notched on the outer margin, the lower portion is serrated on both sides, and the tips are smooth and directed outwards. This fish is widely distributed throughout temporate and tropical seas, often appearing in harbours.

The white shark is 3o called on account of the pure white colouring oi its under surface. It has been rarelv taken on the New Zealand coasta, and is probably ona of tie species which is more at horns in the open ocean. It is found in all the tropical seas of the world and is one of the largest and most formidable of all sharks. T.ilra the teeth of the mako, the large, finely serrated teeth were highly prized as ornaments by tie Maoris. Enormous numbers of teeth, of an allied scecies, now extinct, have been taken in rsilj way cuttings and excavations in Xew [ Zealand,