Smallfin Gulper Shark

The Smallfin gulper shark is a species of dogfish living in the depths of the Indian and Pacific oceans.

Smallfin Gulper Shark Scientific Classification

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Chondrichthyes
Order Squaliformes
Family Centrophoridae
Genus Centrophorus
Scientific Name C. moluccensis

Description

On average, males are 2.3 ft, and females are 3 ft, with the record for the longest specimen being 3.3 ft. This shark has a short, thick snout with small, serrated, slightly bent upper teeth and large, hooked lower teeth. Its eyes are large and green.

Its skin is smooth. Both dorsal fins are short with spines, the second being smaller than the first.

When looked at from above, this shark is a greyish brown. It is much paler when seen from below.

Where do they live

Map Of The Smallfin Gulper Shark’s Habitat

Smallfin Gulper Shark Habitat Map

They are distributed throughout the Indo-west Pacific, from South Africa and Mozambique to Honshū, Japan, Indonesia, New Caledonia, New Hebrides, and southern Australia.

Bottom-dwellers by nature, these sharks live at depths of 410-2,690 feet.

Behavior

Feeding

Smallfin gulper sharks feed mainly on bony fish but also consume crustaceans, mollusks, other sharks, and even tunicates.

Reproductive

They are ovoviviparous and have a very low reproductive rate, giving birth to 2 pups every 2 years.

Interactions with humans

Due to their low rate of reproducing as well as 95% of their population getting depleted by deepwater trawls since 1970, the IUCN has classified the smallfin gulper shark as “Vulnerable” or “VU”.

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