Angel shark facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Angel sharksTemporal range: Upper Jurassic – present
161 mya – present |
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| The Angel shark Squatina squatina | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Class: | |
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| Order: |
Squatiniformes
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| Family: |
Squatinidae
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| Genus: |
Squatina
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| Type species | |
| Squalus squatina Linnaeus, 1758
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An angel shark is a type of cartilaginous fish. This means their skeletons are made of cartilage, not bone. They belong to the genus Squatina. Angel sharks have flat bodies and wide fins, making them look a lot like rays. There are about 23 known species of angel sharks.
These sharks are the only members of their family, Squatinidae. They live in temperate and tropical seas all over the world. Most angel sharks prefer shallow waters. However, one species can be found much deeper, up to 1,300 meters (about 4,265 feet) down. Angel sharks are special because of how they hunt.
They are ambush predators. This means they hide and wait for their food to come to them. They have jaws that can stretch out, with long, sharp teeth. When prey gets close, they quickly snap upwards to catch it. They often bury themselves in sand or mud. This helps them stay hidden while they wait for prey. Their diet includes fish, crustaceans (like crabs), and different types of mollusks (like snails or clams).
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What Angel Sharks Look Like
The front part of an angel shark's body is wide and flat. But the back part is more muscular. Their eyes and spiracles (small holes for breathing) are on top of their heads. They have five gill slits on their backs.
Both their pectoral fins (side fins) and pelvic fins (belly fins) are large and stick out flat. They have two dorsal fins (back fins) but no anal fin (fin near the tail). Unlike most sharks, the bottom part of their caudal fin (tail fin) is longer than the top part. Most angel sharks grow to about 1.5 meters (about 5 feet) long. The Japanese angelshark can grow up to 2 meters (about 6.5 feet).
Angel Shark Reproduction
Angel sharks are ovoviviparous. This means their eggs hatch inside the mother's body. The pups then develop inside her until they are ready to be born live. A female angel shark can have up to 13 pups at one time.
Where Angel Sharks Live
Angel sharks live in both temperate and tropical ocean areas. They are usually found in shallow waters, from about 10 to 328 feet deep, near coastlines.
During the day, they often bury themselves in sandy or muddy areas. They can stay hidden like this for weeks, waiting for food to swim by. At night, they become more active. They cruise along the ocean floor, looking for food. Angel sharks eat fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods (like squid and octopus).
Angel Shark Behavior
Even though angel sharks live on the bottom and seem harmless, they can bite if they feel threatened. Their powerful jaws and sharp teeth can cause a lot of pain. An angel shark might bite if a diver gets too close to its head or grabs its tail.
Angel sharks breathe in a special way. Unlike most other fish that live on the bottom, they don't pump water out of their mouths and throats. Instead, they use gill flaps located under their bodies to pump water out when they breathe. This method also helps them stay hidden and avoid being noticed by prey or predators.
Angel Sharks and People
In the past, the Pacific angel shark was often caught by accident in fishing nets. It wasn't considered valuable and was mostly used as bait for crabs. In the late 1970s, a fish processor in California helped create a market for angel sharks.
At first, only a small amount of angel sharks were caught each year. But by 1985, the number grew to more than 454 tonnes (about 1 million pounds) of sharks. This large amount of fishing caused the angel shark population to drop a lot. Now, fishing for them is controlled to help their numbers recover.
Because angel sharks live close to shore, they were often caught by accident. In 1991, using certain fishing nets in California's coastal waters was banned. Fishing was also limited in more areas where Pacific angel sharks live.
In 2008, the UK government gave the angel shark full protection under a special law. The angel shark (Squatina squatina) was once common in the Atlantic Ocean. But by 2010, it was listed as "critically endangered," meaning it is at very high risk of becoming extinct.
Types of Angel Sharks
Currently, there are 26 recognized species in the Squatina genus:
- Squatina aculeata G. Cuvier, 1829 (sawback angelshark)
- Squatina africana Regan, 1908 (African angelshark)
- Squatina albipunctata Last & W. T. White, 2008 (eastern angelshark)
- Squatina argentina (Marini, 1930) (Argentine angelshark)
- Squatina armata (Philippi {Krumweide}, 1887) (Chilean angelshark)
- Squatina australis Regan, 1906 (Australian angelshark)
- Squatina caillieti J. H. Walsh, Ebert & Compagno, 2011 (Philippines angelshark)
- Squatina californica Ayres, 1859 (Pacific angelshark)
- Squatina david Acero P, Tavera Vargas, Anguila-Gómez & Hernández-Beracasa, 2016 (David's angelshark)
- Squatina dumeril Lesueur, 1818 (sand devil)
- Squatina formosa S. C. Shen & W. H. Ting, 1972 (Taiwan angelshark)
- Squatina guggenheim Marini, 1936 (angular angelshark)
- Squatina heteroptera Castro-Aguirre, Espinoza-Pérez & Huidobro-Campos, 2007 (disparate angelshark)
- Squatina japonica Bleeker, 1858 (Japanese angelshark)
- Squatina legnota Last & W. T. White, 2008 (Indonesian angelshark)
- Squatina mapama Long, Ebert, Tavera, Pizarro, and Robertson, 2021 (Small-crested angelshark)
- Squatina mexicana Castro-Aguirre, Espinoza-Pérez & Huidobro-Campos, 2007 (Mexican angelshark)
- Squatina nebulosa Regan, 1906 (clouded angelshark)
- Squatina occulta Vooren & K. G. da Silva, 1991 (hidden angelshark)
- Squatina oculata Bonaparte, 1840 (smoothback angelshark)
- Squatina pseudocellata Last & W. T. White, 2008 (western angelshark)
- Squatina punctata Marini 1936
- Squatina squatina (Linnaeus, 1758) (angelshark)
- Squatina tergocellata McCulloch, 1914 (ornate angelshark)
- Squatina tergocellatoides J. S. T. F. Chen, 1963 (ocellated angelshark)
- Squatina varii Vaz & Carvalho, 2018 (Brazilian angelshark)
Images for kids
See also
In Spanish: Tiburones ángel para niños
