The common smooth-hound is a houndshark living in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
Common Smooth-hound Scientific Classification |
|
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Chondrichthyes |
| Order | Carcharhiniformes |
| Family | Triakidae |
| Genus | Mustelus |
| Scientific Name | M. mustelus |
Description
On average, males reach 3.6 ft while females are about 5.4 ft. It is a slender shark with a short head and snout. The common smooth-hound shark has two dorsal fins without fringes and a caudal fin with a ventral lobe.
It has a grey to greyish-brown coloration, with dark spots observed in certain specimens.
Where do they live
Map Of The Common Smooth-Hound Shark’s Habitat
They mainly live along the east Atlantic, with sightings in Angola, the Azores, Canaries, Madeira, the Mediterranean, Morocco, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
Its normal depth range is between 16.4 and 164 ft, but some have been spotted at depths of 1148.3 ft.
Behavior
Feeding
This shark mainly feeds on crustaceans but will also consume bony fish and cephalopods.
Reproductive
They are viviparous and give live birth to a litter of 4-15 pups. The mother gestates for 10-11 months before delivering her offspring.
Interactions with humans
Due to the shark being targeted by fisheries and caught as bycatch, the IUCN lists the common smooth-hound as “Endangered” or “EN”.
