The whitespotted bullhead shark is a species of bullhead shark living in the Indian Ocean.
Whitespotted Bullhead Shark Scientific Classification |
|
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Chondrichthyes |
| Order | Heterodontiformes |
| Family | Heterodontidae |
| Genus | Heterodontus |
| Scientific Name | H. ramalheira |
Description
On average, male whitespotted bullhead sharks are about 1.9 ft long, while females are slightly less than 2.8 ft. The maximum recorded length of a specimen was 2.8 feet.
Both dorsal fins have spines. These sharks also have an anal fin opposite to the first dorsal fin.
They are reddish-brown with white spots. There are dark saddles on the adults’ bodies. Baby sharks have a series of striking dark patterns on their bodies and under their eyes that disappear as they age.
Where do they live
Map Of The Whitespotted Bullhead Shark’s Habitat
These sharks swim in the northern and western parts of the Indian Ocean. This shark lives in KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, the eastern Arabian Peninsula, Mozambique, Somalia, and southern Oman.
Its depth range is between 131 and 902 feet, but most commonly at 328 ft.
Behavior
Feeding
Their diet consists mainly of crabs.
Reproductive
They are believed to be oviparous, but no egg cases of this shark have been discovered yet.
Interactions with humans
While this shark is caught as a bycatch, there remains to be more data about its overall population.
