Arrowhead dogfish

5/28/2018

This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons.

The Arrowhead dogfish (Deania profundora) is a decently-sized carnivore, reaching a maximum length of 1.04 metres but usually average around 80 cm. This makes it the smallest of the Deania genus! Found on the upper continental and insular slopes of its range (such as the Canary Islands, the Azores, off Namibia and in the Gulf of Mexico), they are observed at a depth range of 275 metres to 1,785 metres deep.

Little is known about these deepsea sharks. They are dark all over, have a long snout, lack an anal fin, and their dorsal fins are armed with dorsal spines. They are viviparous with yolk sac and produce 5-7 pups.

It is often found in huge schools... which is a problem since they can quickly be wiped out by commercial fisheries in these areas. Deepwater fisheries operate over much of its range and are taken on longlines off the Canary Islands and utilized for their liver oil and meat. The IUCN has assessed them as Least Concern (LC).

EVER HEARD OF THE ANIMAL?

GLOSSARY

Commercial fishery: The activity of catching fish and other seafood for profit.
Continental shelf: Extends from a continent underwater, resulting in a shallow-water area.
Continental slope: The steep slope from a continental shelf to the ocean floor; usually around 20 km (12.4 miles) wide and made up of mud and silt substrate. It is an ideal area for deep sea fishing.
Dorsal fin: Fin located on the back.
Dorsal side: The top of an animal.
Insular slope: The shelf around an island.
IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Viviparous with yolk-sac: Also known as aplacental viviparous and previously known as ovoviviparous/ovoviviparity; it is the production of eggs that are fertilised and hatch inside the female shark but the embryos lack a placental connection to the oviduct or uterus and so do not feed off the mother.