Birdbeak dogfish (Deania calcea)

Scientific name: Deania calcea Lowe, 1839

The Birdbeak dogfish (Deania calcea) is a marine fish of the family Centrophoridae.

Biology

Found on the outer continental and insular shelves and upper slopes. Usually on or near the bottom but sometimes found well above it. Apparently in large schools. Feeds on pelagic bony fish, squid, octopus and shrimp. Ovoviviparous. Caught very rarely by demersal longline fisheries operating in deepwater of Indonesia. Utilized for its meat, fins (low value) and liver oil (very high value).

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Deania calcea
Family: Centrophoridae (Gulper sharks)
Order: Squaliformes (Bramble, Sleeper and Dogfish sharks)
Class: Elasmobranchii (Sharks and Rays)
Maximum length: 122
Depth range: 60–1490 m (197–4888 ft)
Environment: Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 60 - 1490 m, usually 400 - 1400 m
Climate: Deep-water
Distribution: Eastern Atlantic: Iceland along Atlantic slope to Algoa Bay, South Africa. Western Pacific: southern Honshu in Japan, southern Australia, New Zealand. Occurrence in the Western Central Pacific uncertain. Eastern Pacific: southern Chile to northern Peru.
Conservation status (IUCN): Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: minor commercial
Resilience: Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (K=0.077-0.135; Fec=6-12; tm=25)

Sources

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

Last updated 27 September 2026