Piked dogfish

📖 Overview

Possibly the most abundant living shark . A demersal, inshore and offshore dogfish of the continental and insular shelf and upper slopes . Usually near the bottom, but also in midwater and at the surface . Adults occur mainly between 10-200 m depth . Males and gravid females usually found shallower than non-gravid females. They tolerate brackish water, often found in enclosed bays and estuaries. Reported to enter freshwater but cannot survive there for more than a few hours . Highly migratory species, used to be observed in large foraging schools with up to thousands of individuals, usually segregated by size and /or sex, with schools of large gravid females preferentially targeted by fisheries. Their latitudinal (north-south) and depth-related (nearshore-offshore) movements appear to be correlated with their preferred temperature . Tagging experiments showed that populations in the northern North Sea and northwest Scotland made winter migrations to off Norway and summer migrations to Scotland . Transoceanic migrations recorded, but rare . Longevity in the northern Atlantic is about 35-50 years , but most live only 20-24 years . Growth is slow. At sexual maturity, males are 60-70 cm long, females 75-90 cm . Gestation period is 2 years . Ovoviviparous . Feeds on a diversity of prey, ranging from comb jellyfish, squid, mackarel and herring to a wide array of benthic fishes, shrimps, crabs and even sea cucumbers . The only species of horned sharks that can inflict toxins with its tail. Detects weak electric fields generated by potential prey . Utilized for human consumption, liver oil, vitamins, sand paper, leather, fertilizer, etc. . Eaten fried, broiled, and baked .

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 2; Anal spines: 0; Vertebrae: 101 - 109. This moderately sized species is distinguished by the following set of characters: very slender body, abdomen width 7.2-9.2% TL; narrow head, width at mouth 7.9-10.2% TL; mouth width 1.7-2.2 times its horizontal prenarial length; moderately long snout, preoral length 2.2-2.5 times horizontal prenarial length, 8.5-9.8% TL; single-lobed anterior nasal flap; small dorsal fins, raked, first dorsal-fin height 1.1-1.3 times its inner margin length, second dorsal-fin height 0.7-0.9 times its inner margin length; origin of first dorsal-fin located just posterior to pectoral-fin free rear tips; exposed bases of dorsal-fin spines relatively narrow, 0.4-0.7% TL; short spine of first dorsal fin, exposed length 1.7-2.7% TL; pectoral-fin anterior margin 1.9-3.1 times its inner margin length; preventral caudal margin 1.9-2.6 times inner margin of pelvic fin; pale caudal fin with poorly demarcated, whitish margin, blackish caudal blotch at the apex of upper lobe, anterior margins of both lobes whitish in juveniles; dark caudal bar absent; dorsal and lateral surfaces of body bluish grey with an irregular array of moderately-large white spots; whitish ventrally; flank denticles tricuspid; monospondylous centra 41-45, precaudal centra 74-79, total centra 100-105 .: elongated; Cross section: compressed.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Piked dogfish is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

Diet information for Piked dogfish is currently being compiled.

🥚 Reproduction

Distinct pairing with embrace . Ovoviviparous, with litters of 1 to 21 young . Mating probably occurs in winter. Gestation period of 18 to 24 months, longest known of all chondrichthyans . Size at birth 18-30 cm . In the northeast Atlantic, pups are born in winter, with size at birth about 26-28 cm . Sex ratio at birth is 1:1. Gravid females congregate in enclosed shallow bays to give birth . The mother shark experiences a series of rhythmic contractions, just like in mammals, and the young are delivered head first. Larger older females have bigger litters with larger pups; a female with 100 cm TL carries on average 4 times as many embryos compared to a 70 cm female and the former have higher survival rates than those born to small females .

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; brackish; bathydemersal; oceanodromous ; depth range 0 - 1978 m , usually 50 - 300 m . Temperate; 7°C - 15°C ; 78°N - 57°S, 82°W - 171°W North Pacific (Ref.

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🍽️ Edibility & Flavour

"Piked dogfish is an edible species."

⚡ Nutrition

Per 100g cooked — Source: USDA FoodData Central

🔬 Mercury Safety

Mercury data for Piked dogfish has not yet been assigned. Please consult FDA/EPA guidance for general seafood safety advice.

🌿 Sustainability

🌐 Names & Taxonomy

Scientific Synonyms

🐠 Related Species

🔍 Similar Species

🗺️ Global Occurrence Map

Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) — 817 records indexed .

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