Common smooth-hound

Common smooth-hound
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Order:	Carcharhiniformes
Family:	Triakidae
Genus:	Mustelus
Species:	M. mustelus
Binomial name
Mustelus mustelus (Linnaeus, 1758)
IUCN distribution   Extant (resident)
Synonyms
Squalus mustelus Linnaeus, 1758

The common smooth-hound (Mustelus mustelus) is a houndshark of the family Triakidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from the British Isles to South Africa, and in the Mediterranean Sea, Madeira, and the Canary Islands at depths ranging from 5 to 625 m (although they usually stay at depths of 5-50m). While they can grow to 200 cm, their usual maximum size is 150 cm. They commonly grow to 100–120 cm with a birth length around 35 cm. The reproduction of commons smooth-hounds is viviparous.

Morphology and behavior

The common smooth-hound has a grey-brown back and is white on its underneath. It is often confused with the starry smooth-hound, which has white spots on its back. The starry smooth-hound can often have faded spots that leads to misidentification. Another shark with which it is often confused is the tope shark, although the common smooth-hound has a larger second dorsal fin. The common smooth-hound has two dorsal fins, an anal fin, a pair of pectoral fins, a pair of pelvic fins, and a heterocercal tail. All of these fins help stabilise the shark, but in males, the pelvic fins are modified to form claspers.

Like other smooth-hound sharks, the common smooth-hound aggregates in large numbers, like a pack of dogs, so they are called hounds.

References

• Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Mustelus mustelus". FishBase. May 2006 version.
• Smooth Hound (MUSTELUS MUSTELUS) - European Federation of Sea Angling Records

External links

• Media related to Mustelus mustelus at Wikimedia Commons
• Common smoothhound (Mustelus mustelus) media from ARKive