Brown Smooth-hound
Mustelus henlei
Dusky Smooth-hound
Mustelus canis
About
The dusky smooth-hound is a slender, easygoing shark that patrols sandy and muddy bottoms in loose groups. It grows to a common length of 100 cm, with a maximum of 150 cm.
Also known as: smooth dogfish, smooth dog shark, dusky smoothhound, atlantic smooth dogfish, grayfish, sand shark
- Length
- 1 m · max 1.5 m
- Weight
- max 12 kg
- Depth
- 18–200 m
How to tell it apart
The dusky smooth-hound can be confused with the spiny dogfish, but it has no spines in front of its dorsal fins, and its tail has a deeply notched upper lobe.
Appearance
This shark has a slim, gray to brown body with a pale underside and a blunt, tapered snout. Its two dorsal fins are similar in size and triangular, and its tail fin has a deep notch in the upper lobe. Unlike spiny dogfish, it has no spines on its fins.
Habitat
Dusky smooth-hounds live on continental shelves over sand and mud, usually from 18 to 200 m deep, though they can range far deeper. They sometimes enter brackish water near river mouths.
Diet
This shark hunts mainly at night, feeding on crabs, lobsters, and other crustaceans. It also eats mollusks, worms, squid, and small fish, crushing prey with rows of flat, blunt teeth rather than biting it.
Breeding
Females give birth to live pups after a gestation of 10 to 11 months, with litters of four to twenty. Males mature at 68 to 93 cm, females later and larger, at 70 to 130 cm.
Log it in Into the Blue
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