Spotless smooth-hound facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Spotless smooth-hound |
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| Genus: |
Mustelus
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| Species: |
griseus
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| Range of the spotless smooth-hound | |
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The spotless smooth-hound (Mustelus griseus) is a type of houndshark. It belongs to the family called Triakidae. This shark lives in the northwest Pacific Ocean. You can find it in waters between 40° N and 11° N latitude. It swims from the surface down to about 300 meters deep. This shark can grow to be up to 1 meter long.
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About the Spotless Smooth-Hound
Male spotless smooth-hounds usually grow to about 87 centimeters long. Females are a bit larger, reaching around 100 centimeters. This shark has a slender body. Its head is short, and its snout is fairly long with a blunt tip. The eyes are small and set close together.
The mouth of this shark is long. The groove on its lower lip is usually longer than the upper one. Its teeth are like molars, meaning they are flat and low. Both of its dorsal fins (the fins on its back) have a curved back edge. The space between these two fins is about 20% of the shark's total length. The top and sides of the shark are grey or greyish-brown. Its belly is a lighter color. This shark has a plain color all over. It does not have any spots or stripes.
Where Spotless Smooth-Hounds Live
The spotless smooth-hound lives in the warm and cool parts of the Pacific Ocean. You can find it off the coasts of Vietnam, Japan, China, and Taiwan. It might also live near the Philippines. This shark stays on the continental shelves. These are the shallow parts of the ocean floor near land. It also lives in partly enclosed sea areas.
It can be found at depths down to 51 meters. Sometimes, it might go as deep as 300 meters. This shark usually stays near the seabed. It often prefers sandy areas. Scientists believe it eats crustaceans like crabs and shrimp. It also eats other small animals that live on the ocean floor.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
The spotless smooth-hound is viviparous. This means it gives birth to live young, instead of laying eggs. Male sharks become ready to have babies when they are between 62 and 70 centimeters long. Females are ready when they reach about 80 centimeters.
A female shark can have between five and sixteen pups at a time. The baby sharks grow inside their mother. They get food from a special connection called a yolk sac placenta. The pregnancy lasts for about ten months. When they are born, the pups are about 28 centimeters long. The oldest spotless smooth-hound ever recorded lived for nine years.
Conservation Status
People catch spotless smooth-hounds to eat their meat and fins. These parts are considered very tasty. Fishermen catch them using different methods. These include gillnets, trawls, and longline fishing. Sometimes, they are caught on purpose. Other times, they are caught by accident when fishing for other animals. This is called bycatch.
It is not clear if too many of these sharks are being caught. We do not know if their numbers are going down. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has listed this shark as "endangered." This means it is at high risk of becoming extinct. The IUCN believes more studies are needed. These studies would help understand how many sharks are left and how many are being caught.
