Description: A large, slender shark, with a fairly short, broadly rounded snout. Eyes circular and moderately large. Pectoral fins large and falcate, with pointed or narrowly rounded tips. First dorsal fin much larger than second, with curved posterior margin. Blue-grey or lead-grey above, white below; tips of fins may be dusky, but not black. Has a faint white band on the flank. Large adults are potentially dangerous.
Global Distribution: Western and Eastern Atlantic, including the Mediterranean; Indo-West Pacific; Eastern Pacific. View Map
BIOLOGICAL FEATURES
Size: Maximum length 420 cm (total length); common length 250 cm (TL); maximum published weight 346.5 kg.
Population structure & migrations: Highly migratory species.
ECOLOGICAL FEATURES
Depth range: FishBase: 0 - 400 m, usually 200 - 400 m.
Habitat: Reef-associated. Found in coastal and offshore waters but not oceanic. Adults are commonly found at depths of 200-400 m, young in shallower waters.
Feeding habits: Feeds on bottom and pelagic bony fish, sharks, skates, rays, cephalopods, gastropods, crustaceans, sometimes mammalian carrion and inorganic objects.
Trophic level: FishBase: 4.5
FISHERIES
Commercial interest:
Conservation status: Global: Vulnerable.
Europe: Data deficient.
Nutritional information & food safety:
REFERENCES
Ebert D.A., Stehmann M.F.W. (2013). Sharks, batoids, and chimaeras of the North Atlantic. FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes, No. 7. FAO, Rome, 523 pp.
IUCN (2014). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. www.iucnredlist.org
Nieto A., Ralph G.M., Comeros-Raynal M.T., Kemp J., GarcÃa Criado M., Allen D.J., Dulvy N.K., Walls R.H.L., Russell B., Pollard D., GarcÃa S., Craig M., Collette B.B., Pollom R., Biscoito M., Labbish Chao N., Abella A., Afonso P., Ãlvarez H., Carpenter K.E., Clò S., Cook R., Costa M.J., Delgado J., Dureuil M., Ellis J.R., Farrell E.D., Fernandes P., Florin A-B., Fordham S., Fowle, S., Gil de Sola L., Gil Herrera J., Goodpaster A., Harvey M., Heessen H., Herler J., Jung A., Karmovskaya E., Keskin C., Knudsen S.W., Kobyliansky S., KovaÄić M., Lawson J.M., Lorance P., McCully Phillips S., Munroe T., Nedreaas K., Nielsen J., Papaconstantinou C., Polidoro B., Pollock C.M., Rijnsdorp A.D., Sayer C., Scott J., Serena F., Smith-Vaniz W.F., Soldo A., Stump E., Williams J.T. (2015). Europen Red List of Marine Fishes. IUCN and European Union, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 90 pp.
