Western African catshark

About the Western African catshark

The West African catshark is a species of ground shark found in eastern Atlantic at depths of 45-500m. Like all members of the catshark family, they’re bottom feeders, have elongated cat-like eyes, and two small dorsal fins set far back. They’re mostly nocturnal and often sleep in groups during the day. Their diet consists of bony fishes and bottom-dwelling crustacean and cephalopods.

They’re presumed to be oviparous but the average litter size is unknown. Males become mature at 65cm but the size of females at maturity is also unknown. They grow to a maximum length of at least 76cm.

There is not enough confirmation to assess their population health. Their conservation status is “Data Deficient.”

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