Silky Shark

Photo: Jane Kempler & Andrew Goldby Freelance · CC BY-NC-ND

Silky sharks are the most consistently present large shark at El Banco, circling the seamount at mid-water depths and occasionally diving to the summit. They are oceanic sharks that use seamounts as navigational waypoints and feeding aggregation zones, and their year-round presence at Los Testigos suggests the seamount lies on a regular circuit for local individuals. At this unvisited site they approach closely, exhibiting investigative behavior rarely seen where sharks have been conditioned to avoid boats.