These charismatic creatures, affectionately called "Raggies", are commonly seen cruising the gullies on Aliwal Shoal, Quarter Mile and other rocky reefs. Although they are large and can be aggressive if provoked, they are generally passive and will allow you to approach quite close if you are calm and relaxed.

IDENTIFICATION
This stocky bodied shark has small eyes and a short pointed snout with a protruding set of teeth - hence its name. It is pale brown or grey with brown spots. The anal and two dorsal fins are almost the same size.

DISTRIBUTION
Raggies generally occur in shallow coastal waters on or near shallow rocky reefs. In late winter adults move up the coast to KwaZulu-Natal where they mate.

FEEDING
The smooth-edged, pointed teeth are designed for catching a variety of fish and juveniles of other sharks, which are usually swallowed whole.
Raggies may feed co-operatively in packs on a variety of shoaling fish. They are usually more active at night and often lie in wait for their prey. These animals do not feed very often when they are pregnant.

REPRODUCTION
The adults move to KwaZulu-Natal from July where they congregate on reefs including Protea Banks and Aliwal Shoal for mating.
Courtship is a lengthy process which involves the males inflicting bites on the females. Many pregnant females then migrate further north to the St Lucia Marine Reserve for part of their gestation period. They return to the south eastern Cape waters to pup. Mature females in South African waters are believed to reproduce only once every two years. The gestation period is 9-12 months. The young develop in the uterus with energy supplied by large egg yolks. The largest embryos feed on the other developing embryos within the uterus and usually only two pups are born, one pup per uterus.

BEHAVIOUR
Raggies are usually slow moving. They swallow air to overcome negative buoyancy, so that they do not need to keep swimming to prevent sinking. They are one of the few sharks that can actively pump water over their gills and therefore can hover for long periods.

GROWTH
Both sexes mature at 320cm after approximately 5 years. They reach a maximum size of 320cm and the maximum weight caught is 294 kg. These fish live up to 20 years.

FISHERY
Raggies are caught by shore anglers and are sometimes taken by ski-boat anglers, particularly during fishing competitions. Large numbers of these sharks have been tagged and released alive by shore anglers. They also form part of the by-catch of other line-fishers and commercial trawlers.

MANAGEMENT
(subject to change)
Under the Marine Living Resources Act, the species is classified as recreational.