This lifeform is found in the eastern Pacific from California to Peru.

Leopard Shark (Triakis semifasciata) is found in the Pacific Ocean near the coast of North America from Oregon to Baja California. This is a small shark that rarely exceeds five feet in length. It is common in shallow bays of southern California.

Smooth Hounds or Smooth Dogfishes (Triakidae Family) are a group of small sharks that are frequently placed in the Carcharhinidae family. There are about 42 species in the Triakidae family. The following are included in this family:

   Gray Smoothhound     Mustelus californicus  East Pacific
   Smooth Dogfish       Mustelus canis         Western Atlantic
   Brown Smoothhound    Mustelus henlei        East Pacific
   Sicklefin smoothhnd  Mustelus lunulaus      East Pacific
   Florida Smoothhound  Mustelus norrisi       Near Florida
   Spotted Shark        Mustelus punctulatus   East Atlantic
   Leopard Shark        Triakis semifasciatus  East Pacific
   Banded Houndshark    Triakis scyllia        Japan and China

True Shark group (Order Lamniformes) contains the majority of the world's species of living sharks. They are characterized by  having five gill slits. Some taxonomists recognize over fifteen families in this order.

Sharks and rays (Elasmobranchi), cartilaginous fishes, deserve to be a class separate from the normal fish, in that they do not have a bone skeleton but rather a cartilage skeleton.

Fertilization is internal in this class which also separates them from the bony fish class. Although there are a few fresh water species, the majority of the species in this class are found in salt water. As of 2005, there were about 500 known species of sharks and about 600 known species of rays.

David Ebert, author of a recent book on sharks, rays, and chimaeras of California, counts a total of 988 described species in the class with about 150 additional species awaiting scientific description. He breaks down the described species to 410 species of sharks, 543 species of rays, and 35 species of chimaeras.

Backboned Animals (Phylum Chordata) are the most advanced group of animals on earth. These animals are characterized by having a spinal cord or backbone. Most members have a clearly defined brain that controls the organism through a spinal cord. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are in this phylum.

Currently, some taxonomists believe that the fish should be divided into two groups (sharks and regular fishes) and that there are some other primitive groups in the phylum such as hagfish or lampreys.

Animal Kingdom contains numerous organisms that feed on other animals or plants. Included in the animal kingdom are the lower marine invertebrates such as sponges and corals, the jointed legged animals such as insects and spiders, and the backboned animals such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.