Atlantic weasel shark (Paragaleus pectoralis)

Scientific name: Paragaleus pectoralis Garman, 1906

Atlantic weasel shark (Paragaleus pectoralis)

The Atlantic weasel shark (Paragaleus pectoralis) is a marine fish of the family Hemigaleidae.

Biology

A very common inshore to offshore shark of the continental shelf occurring at depths of a few meters to slightly over 100 m. A specialist feeder that prefers cephalopods, also feeds on small bony fishes. Viviparous. Utilized fresh and dried salted for human consumption, and processed into fishmeal.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Paragaleus pectoralis
Family
Hemigaleidae (Weasel sharks)
Order
Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks)
Class
Elasmobranchii (Sharks and Rays)
Maximum length
140
Common length
100.0
Depth range
100 m (328 ft)
Environment
Marine; demersal; depth range ? - 100 m, usually 30 - 70 m
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Eastern Atlantic: Cape Verde and Mauritania to northern Namibia; possibly extending north to Morocco. Record from the Northwest Atlantic, specifically in New England, has not been verified even after an extensive survey of the area has been conducted.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Data deficient (DD)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial
Resilience
Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Fec=1)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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