Black Shark

It stalked us for days. We could see its fin drawing circles around our boat, and at night its teal glowing eyes were visible underwater. Never before have I been this scared. We were certain it would tear down our boat. The sheer size of this shark was phenomenal. Yet for some reason it left us alone eventually.

— Fisherman

The black shark, also known as great black or black terror, is an apex predator roaming the seas all over the world. It is believed to be the largest shark on the planet. While they usually hunt other large sea animals they are also known for attacking ships when they are hungry and no other food is around.

Appearance

Black sharks are robust-looking sharks which are notable for their size and inflicted nature. Their skin is black with dark grey stripes on top, and a dappled light grey on the underside. Each specimen has a distinct pattern of cuts and tears on their body, not due to past wounds but rather because they are born this way. It is believed that their shabby appearance is due to their inflicted nature. Proof of that are their teal glowing eyes, two on each side of their conical shaped head (Four in total). Females are larger than males. Black sharks keep growing all of their lives. The larger the shark, the older it is.

Reproduction

Not much is known about the black sharks mating habits. It is believed though that the gestation period takes about 13 months. One female can give birth to 4 - 15 pups. They reach sexual maturity around the age of 30 (males) and 35 (females). The pups remain with their mother for several years until they are large enough to survive the oceans on their own. Despite their lack of natural predators black sharks are uncommon. This is largely due to their slow maturing and long gestation period.

Social Behaviour

Although lone black sharks have been sighted on more than one occasion they tend to live in small packs of 5 to 15 individuals. They have a dominance hierarchy depending on the size, sex and squatter's rights: Females dominate males, larger sharks dominate smaller sharks, and residents dominate newcomers. When it is time to feed they separate and hunt independently of one another.

Diet & Hunting

Black sharks are excellent hunters. They have exceptional smell and sight and seem well equipped to spot prey at a large distance, even if that prey is motionless. One of their more dangerous features is that they somehow can make themselves impossible to spot. It is unknown how they do this, although their coloration does help as well. They feed on anything they can dig their teeth in. This can be seals, squids, birds, whales and even smaller sharks. Black sharks show above average intelligence. When they are hungry and no other food is in sight they can attack boats and even large ships. They seem to know their is prey on board. Their powerful jaws can easily crush boats and even larger ships are not always safe. They are very curious animals, so when a black shark stalks a ship it does not always mean the crew is in danger. Sometimes they merely follow along to go their own way after their curiosity has been satisfied.

Habitat & Geographic distribution

Black sharks can be found in almost all seas with a water temperature between 10 and 25°C. Younger sharks can often be found in coastal regions, while the larger ones prefer deeper waters.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• The Inflicted

Lifespan

90 years

Average Length

Males: 22 - 28 m (max. 33 m)
Females: 29 - 37 m (max. 47 m)

I am sure we will be branded lunatics, but we all saw it. Black sharks can make themselves invisible! I am the first to admit their colors make them hard to spot in the sea. But this was way more than mere camouflage. We could see its dorsal fin clearly as it swam closer to the seal colony, and then it disappeared. Not because the shark submerged itself underwater. No it disappeared because it became invisible. We are certain of this because we saw some unseen force lifting an unfortunate seal into the air a moment before the shark reappeared. The seal crushed between its teeth.

— Captain's logbook