Blackfin Gulper Shark

4/2/2018

This Data Deficient (yes, that's what the IUCN has them listed as: DD) is a rare deepwater dogfish that... well, to be honest, we know very little about. Also known as the "Black Gulper Shark," and the "Longnose Gulper Shark," this shark is known in the scientific world as Centrophorus isodon.

Photo Credit: Andy Murch

They are a very distinctive looking shark. Small gill slits, black mouth (and tongue!!), and blackish grey all over, they have two large dorsal fins and otherwise look like any sluggish shark. It's that black mouth/tongue combo that gets me.

They have been observed sporadically in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, found swimming about on the continental and insular slopes up to 770 metres deep. The blackfin gulper shark can get up to a maximum size of 93 cm total length (TL; the smallest recorded was around 32.5 cm) and... well, yeah. That's basically all we have on these animals. It can be assumed that like other Centrophorus sharks they are viviparous with yolk-sac and have low fecundity (animals with low fecundity produce fewer offspring).

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THESE animals?

GLOSSARY

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.
Fecundity: Ability to produce offspring.
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.