The smooth Hound Shark scientifically known as Mustelus mustelus belongs to the family Triakidae. About 28 species are categorized in the genus Mustelus. Mustelus is a Latin word used to represent an ancient group of sharks that possess pointed snouts, rapacious feeding behavior, and agile swimming abilities. Read on to reveal more about this amazing species of sharks.
Where Do Smooth Hound Sharks Live?
The sharks live in the temperate and coastal waters of the East Atlantic Oceans, the Mediterranean Sea, the UK, Morocco, the Azores, the Canary Islands, and Madeira. Some species are also spotted in the South African water and along the coast of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
What Habitat Does Smooth Hound Sharks Prefer?
The Smoothhound sharks live on the upper slopes and continental shelves at depths of 16.4 to164 feet or 5 to 50 meters. Moreover, they are also spotted thriving in the intertidal zone at the depth of 1148.3 feet or 350 meters. The ocean floor and the cold salt water is the first preference of the Smooth Hound shark to rest during the daytime.
What Do The Smooth Hound Shark Look Like?
The Smooth Hound shark has a small and slender body with a sharp and pointed snout and large oval-shaped eyes. They have triangular-shaped dorsal fins with two large lobes, one pair of anal fins, two pairs of pectoral fins, and asymmetrical semi-falcate caudal fins. The sharks vary in color from grey to greyish brown with small black spots on the upper skin and have a pale-colored belly.
How Long Can A Smooth Hound Shark Grow?
Starting from the birth stage, the sharks are only 1.3 feet or 39 cm in length. At maturity, the male and female sharks differ in length – the male can reach 2.3 to 2.4 feet or 70 to 74 cm whereas the female reaches 2.6 feet or 80 cm in length. However, the male sharks can approximately grow to a length of 3.6 feet or 110 cm and females can have a maximum length of 5.4 feet or 164 cm.
What Is The Feeding Habitat Of Smooth Hound Shark?
The Smooth Hound Shark includes the following foodstuff in its menu:
- Ghost shrimp
- Crustaceans
- Cephalopods
- Bony fishes
- Innkeeper worms
- Grapsids
- Cancrids
- Hermit crabs
- Squat lobsters
- Small sharks
What Reproductive Behaviour Do Smooth Hound Shark Exhibit?
Well, these sharks reproduce by viviparous mode of reproduction – the fertilization and development of eggs take place inside the mother’s body. After the gestation period of 10 to 11 years, the eggs hatch internally and the female shark gives birth to 4 to 15 young pups.
Is Smooth Hound Shark Hazardous To Humans?
No! Sharks are considered harmless to human beings. There is no such case of a shark attack that has been reported to date. They are caught for commercial purposes in West African, Mediterranean, and European waters. They are used in frozen, fresh, smoked, and dry salted forms for human consumption.
Final Words
Mustelus mustelus commonly known as Smooth Hound Shark. The species are distributed in temperate waters over the globe, and swim near the bottom of the ocean but are sometimes also spotted in the mid-water zone. They feed on a variety of foodstuff and reproduce by viviparous mode of reproduction. Interestingly, there is no such case of their attacks on humans that has been reported to date instead they are caught for fisheries and human consumption.
