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PicoSearch

Spotted Spiny Dogfish


Scientifically:
Squalus acanthias.

What To Look For:
This is the most important commercial shark. It has 2 spined dorsal fins and white spots on a grey body. This extremely abundant dogfish occupies inshore waters where large schools pursue and feed upon mid-water fish. It is recorded to depths of 900 m, undergoing seasonal migrations to keep within a 7-15°C temperature band. It is known to live up to 30 years, with some estimating its life span to be 70 years. It is also called the Piked Dogfish, Spiny Dogfish, Spurdog and the Victorian Spotted Dogfish.

Size:
Males to 1 m; females to 1.65 m.

Distribution:
Circumglobal in temperate zone. Deep water from 124-515 m.

Food:
A voracious predator feeding on mid-water and bottom-living bony fish, squid and shellfish.

Breeding:
Mates in winter, gestation lasting between 18 and 24 months. It gives birth to up to 20 live young per litter.

Danger To Humans:
Care needed when handling as spines are sharp. Caught by commercial trawlers.


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