western highfin spurdog

Photo: CSIRO National Fish Collection

The western highfin spurdog (Squalus altipinnis) is a dogfish of the Squalidae family found on the continental shelf off off Rowley Shoals Western Australia, down to about 510 metres deep. 

It's a medium-sized dogfish having a maximum recorded total length (TL) of 59 cm. This shark has a pointed snout, a tall first dorsal fin with a large spine in front of it and a smaller dorsal. That's right-- TWO dorsal fin spines! SO COOL! It is a grey colour on the top side of its body, and has a white tummy. They have a short caudal fin. Does this sound like another shark? Yeah, it looks a bit similar to Squalus albifrons, although they differ in that the western highfin spurdog lacks dark tips on their dorsal fins and they have smaller pectoral and caudal fins. They're a viviparous (aplacental) species. We could not find them on the IUCN website.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THIS ANIMAL?

GLOSSARY

• IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.​

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