Sharptooth houndshark
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| Triakis megalopterus (Smith, 1839) |
The sharptooth houndshark, Triakis megalopterus, is a hound shark of the family Triakidae found off sandy beaches, rocky shores and in shallow bays of Namibia to Coffee Bay, South Africa, between latitudes 30° S and 36° S. Its length is up to 1.74 m.
The sharptooth houndshark has a blunt snout and a large mouth with small pointed teeth. The caudal peduncle is short and heavy. It feeds on crabs, lobsters, bony fish and small sharks. It forms schools in summer, being commonly caught by rock and surf sports anglers but not eaten much. The meat is dried into shark biltong or jerky which commands a relatively high price.
It is hardy and keeps well in captivity.
Coloration is grey with numerous black spots which may be sparse or absent in some specimens. New-born pups have fewer black spots compared to adults. White below.
Reproduction is ovoviviparous.
[edit] References
- "Triakis megalopterus". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. July 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
