Snaggletooth shark (Hemipristis elongata)

Scientific name: Hemipristis elongata Klunzinger, 1871

Snaggletooth shark (Hemipristis elongata)

The Snaggletooth shark (Hemipristis elongata) is a marine fish of the family Hemigaleidae. Native range: Indo-West Pacific, Red Sea and southeast Africa to Philippines, north to China, south to Australia.

Biology

A coastal species, found inshore and offshore on the continental and insular shelves. Feeds on sharks, rays and bony fishes; also cephalopods. Viviparous. Thought to be potentially dangerous because of its large, fearsome teeth and shallow-water habitat, but has not been recorded in an attack on people. Caught regularly by inshore gillnet, bottom trawl (occasionally) and longline fisheries. Regularly taken in artisanal fisheries. Utilized fresh for human consumption, liver processed for vitamins, fins used in the oriental shark fin trade, and by-products processed into fishmeal. Most adults below 200 cm.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Hemipristis elongata
Family
Hemigaleidae (Weasel sharks)
Order
Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks)
Class
Elasmobranchii (Sharks and Rays)
Maximum length
240
Common length
200
Depth range
1–130 m (3–427 ft)
Environment
Marine; demersal; depth range 1 - 130 m
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and southeast Africa to Philippines, north to China, south to Australia.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Vulnerable (VU) (A2bd+3bd+4bd)
Threat to humans
Traumatogenic
Uses
Fisheries: commercial
Resilience
Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Fec=2)

Sources

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

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