Hexanchus griseus
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fishes)
Hexanchiformes (Cow and Frilled Sharks)
Hexanchidae (Cow Sharks)
Hexanchus
Hexanchus griseus (Bluntnose Sixgill Shark)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Stout body, broad and blunt head, narrow and strongly arched mouth, upper jaw teeth with long pointed cusp and series of smaller lateral cusplets, lower jaw with six large comblike teeth on each side, relatively small eye, six large gill slits, relatively short caudal peduncle
Dark gray to brown dorsally and lighter ventrally
Distribution
Northern Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Tropical to temperate seas, from surface to 1,875 m, more common at shallow depths at higher latitudes
Biology
Pelagic and benthic organisms, such as squids, crustaceans, sharks, rays, chimaeras, bony fishes, and seals
Maximum known size is about 482 cm TL
Litters range from 22 to 108, males mature at about 325 cm TL, females mature at about 450 to 482 cm TL, and young are about 65 to 70 cm TL at birth
Depth range reported at 0m-2500m (Ref. 125614). A deepwater species of the outer continental and insular shelves and upper slopes (Ref. 6871, 75154), islands, seamounts and mid-ocean ridges (Ref. 125614). Near bottom, occasionally pelagic, adults usually below 91 m (Ref. 58302). Juveniles may be found close inshore (Ref. 6871), while nursery areas are in very shallow waters (Ref. 125614). Found on the bottom by day, moving to the surface at night to feed, and where it may take longlines set for other species (Ref. 45445). Depth distribution related to growth and temperature, with juveniles having most shallow records and from colder, poleward regions (Ref. 58302). Generally occurs at a bottom temperature of 6 to 10°C (Ref. 125614). Feeds on a wide range of marine organisms, including other sharks, rays, chimaeras, bony fish, squids, crabs, shrimps, carrion, and even seals (Ref. 26969). Large sharks (at least 2m) take cetaceans and seals. Viviparous, very large litters of 47-108 pups (Ref. 125614). Give birth to almost 100 young (Ref. 35388). Young and adults may be segregated, with the young using inshore nursery grounds. Possibly long-lived (Ref. 125614). Is a eurytrophic predator that is capable of exploiting a wide range of prey species and habitats (Ref. 26969). A vertical migrant, it may sit on the bottom by day, and rise to the surface at night to feed (Ref. 247). It occurs alone or in groups. Adults are more sensitive to light than the juveniles and less seen in clear shallow waters, but more prevalent at night or areas with dense plankton blooms (Ref. 125614). It is locally common in bycatch and target fisheries for food, fishmeal and oil, and in sports fisheries, but vulnerable to overfishing and requires careful management (Ref. 125614). Marketed fresh, frozen, or dried salted (Ref. 247). Not known to have attacked people without provocation (Ref. 247).
IUCN Red List Status: Near Threatened (NT), assessed 2019-11-21. Resilience: Low (Fec= 22-108).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish.
References
Bigelow and Schroeder 1948a
Castro 1983
Boeseman 1984
Compagno 1984
Branstetter and McEachran 1986a
C. R. Robins et al. 1986
Compagno, L.J.V. (1984) FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 1 - Hexanchiformes to Lamniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(4/1):1-249. Rome, FAO.
Bass, A.J., P.C. Hemstra and L.J.V. Compagno (1986) Hexanchidae. p. 45-47. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Last, P.R. and J.D. Stevens (1994) Sharks and rays of Australia. CSIRO, Australia. 513 p.
Cortés, E. (1999) Standardized diet compositions and trophic levels of sharks. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 56:707-717.
Tsikliras, A.C. and D. Dimarchopoulou (2021) Filling in knowledge gaps: Length-weight relations of 46 uncommon sharks and rays (Elasmobranchii) in the Mediterranean Sea. Acta Ichthyol. et Pisc. 51(3):249-255. DOI: 10.3897/aiep.51.65858
Ebert, D.A., S. Fowler and M. Dando (2021) Sharks of the World: A complete guide. Princeton University Press, 607 p. DOI: 10.1515/9780691210872
Fricke, R., P. Durville, T. Mulochau and G. Potin (2024) Deep-water fish species from Réunion observed during an inventory of the fauna at 1000 m depth, including first and confirmed records. Cybium 48(3):219-227. DOI: 10.26028/cybium/2024-018
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