Southern sleeper shark (Somniosus antarcticus)

Scientific name: Somniosus antarcticus Whitley, 1939

Southern sleeper shark (Somniosus antarcticus)

The Southern sleeper shark (Somniosus antarcticus) is a marine fish of the family Somniosidae. Native range: South Indo-Pacific and South Atlantic.

Biology

Vertebrae: 36 - 38. Somniosus antarcticus differs from S. pacificus by the following characters: interdorsal space about 80% of prebranchial length (vs. 70%); height of first dorsal fin about 3.0% of precaudal length (PCL) (vs. 3.7%); height of second dorsal fin about 2.9% of PCL (vs. 3.4%); number of turns in spiral valve 36-41 (mode 39) (vs. 32-37, mode 33); precaudal vertebrae 30-31 (mode 30) (vs. 28-30, mode 29).

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Somniosus antarcticus
Family
Somniosidae (Sleeper sharks)
Order
Squaliformes (Bramble, Sleeper and Dogfish sharks)
Class
Elasmobranchii (Sharks and Rays)
Maximum length
438
Depth range
485–1150 m (1591–3773 ft)
Environment
Marine; benthopelagic; depth range 485 - 1150 m
Climate
Deep-water
Distribution
South Indo-Pacific and South Atlantic.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Data deficient (DD)
Threat to humans
Harmless

Sources

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

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