Silky Shark

Photo: Balazs Buzas · CC BY-NC-ND

The seamount's most reliable pelagic predator, silky sharks circle the structure in small groups investigating divers with bold, close-passing behaviour that is thrilling but rarely aggressive. They earn their name from the smooth, almost silky texture of their skin produced by tiny overlapping dermal denticles optimised for low-drag cruising. In the Arabian Sea they associate closely with tuna schools, exploiting the same baitfish aggregations.