🦈 Our mystery animal is the Port Jackson shark!

The scientific name of this animal is 𝘏𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘴𝘫𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘪.

Port Jackson sharks usually live in rocky environments or near the bottom of the ocean. Although not considered a danger to humans, their small teeth can inflict a nasty bite. This species can eat and breathe at the same time, which is uncommon for sharks as they must swim with an open mouth to force water over the gills to obtain oxygen.

Port Jackson sharks can instead pump water over their gills! The genus name Heterodontus comes from the Greek heteros meaning ‘different’ and dont meaning ‘tooth’ This refers to the difference between the front teeth of the shark which are small and pointed and the back teeth which are broad and flat. The species name portusjacksoni refers to Port Jackson, better known as Sydney Harbour, where it was first discovered.