Atlantic Angelshark

About the Atlantic Angelshark

The Atlantic Angelshark, also known as the Sand Devil, is found in the western Atlantic, from southern New England in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico and along the Mexican Caribbean coast. It lives at depths of up to 1,290 m (4,232 ft) and belongs to the Squatinidae family.

Biology and Behaviour

Atlantic angelsharks have a flattened, ray-shaped body and a head that narrows into a distinct neck at the base of the pectoral fins. Their colouration varies from bluish-grey to ashy-grey, with a paler underside and reddish areas on the head and fins. Size at 50% maturity is around 85.8 cm (33.8 in) for females, and 92.9 cm (36.6 in) for males. This species can reach a total length of up to 152 cm (59.8 in).

The Atlantic Angelshark mainly feeds on small bottom-dwelling fishes such as flounders, skates and stingrays, but also eats crustaceans and molluscs. It is an ambush predator that remains hidden on the seafloor, waiting for prey to approach before attacking.

Reproduction

Their reproductive mode is ovoviviparous, meaning that embryos develop inside eggs that hatch within the mother’s body and are nourished by yolk. Only the left ovary is functional. Pupping occurs from February through June, and pups measure 25 to 30 cm (9.8–11.8 in) at birth.

Litter size varies depending on the region. In the Gulf of Mexico litters contain up to 10 pups, while they contain between 4 and 25 pups along the eastern coast of the United States. Birth generally occurs in shallow water, at approximately 18 to 27 m (59–89 ft) in depth.

Habitat

This species is found seasonally in shallower water. Off the eastern United States, it appears to move inshore in the spring and summer and disappears into deeper water in other seasons. Squatina dumeril is often found in deeper waters where shrimp trawling effort is low.

Conservation

In the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Angelshark occurs with relative frequency as bycatch in trawl fisheries targeting butterfish. It may also be caught accidentally in other demersal fisheries, including trawls in the North Atlantic. In Atlantic U.S. waters, angelsharks are currently listed as prohibited under the Federal Management Plan for Atlantic Tunas, Swordfish and Sharks as a precautionary management measure. The IUCN assessed the species as Least Concern in 2019.

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Atlantic Angelshark Gallery