Flat head with small teeth. First dorsal fin very far back, behind origin of pelvic fins. Abundant year round.
Females lay eggs in clutches of two.
Their eggs are left to become entangled in kelp which anchor the eggs for the 7.5 to 10 month hatching period. The spines keep the newborn shark from slipping back into the egg case. Young swell sharks do not have this ability. Swell Sharks are night feeders, catching prey in two ways. One way is sucking in small prey and the other is leaving its mouth wide open and letting prey swim in.