Deepwater Catshark

About the Deepwater Catshark

The Deepwater Catshark is a catshark of the family Scyliorhinidae, mainly found in the western Atlantic from Delaware Bay to Suriname, and in the eastern Atlantic from Morocco to Northwest Africa.

Biology and Description:

The Deepwater Catshark is relatively small, slugging sharks that live on or near the bottom on the upper continental slope. They have short snouts, small eyes, and shorter gill openings. They are of a uniform greyish brown colour below. They feed mainly on crustaceans, squids, and small fishes. Their reproductive mode is oviparous with one egg per oviduct. Paired eggs are laid and embryos feed solely on the yolk. This species reaches a maximum size of 54.2 cm TL.

Habitat:

This species is bathydemersal and inhabits the continental slope. The depth range is 1100 – 1750 m.

Conservation:

No conservation measures are currently in place for this species.

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Deepwater Catshark Gallery


Scientific Name Apristurus profundorum
OrderGround Sharks - Carcharhiniformes
GenusApristurus
CitesNot Listed
IUCNData Deficient
ReproductionOviparous
SizeSmall
Litter Size Unknown
Common Length 54.2 cm
Max LenghtNA
Depth Range 1100- 1750 m
DistributionWestern Central Atlantic, Eastern Central Atlantic
EnvironmentBathydemersal