Pointed-head seven-gill shark

Pointed-head seven-gill shark
	Pointed-head seven-gill shark ( Heptranchias perlo )
Systematics
without rank:	Sharks (selachii)
Superordinate :	Squalomorphii
Order :	Hexanchiformes
Family :	Comb tooth sharks (Hexanchidae)
Genre :	Heptranchias
Type :	Pointed-head seven-gill shark
Scientific name
	Heptranchias perlo
	( Bonnaterre , 1788)

The pointed head seven-gill shark ( Heptranchias perlo ) belongs to the order of the Hexanchiformes . It is the only species in the genus Heptranchias .

anatomy

The up to 1.37 meters long sharks are slim, have a gray-brown back and a light belly. The name is derived from the seven gill slits, which all lie in front of the approach of the pectoral fin and get smaller and smaller from front to back. Besides the broad-nosed seven-gill shark , the pointed head seven-gill shark is the only shark with seven gill slits. He has large, fluorescent green eyes. The gap in the mouth is long. The small dorsal fin sits far back. The heteroccal caudal fin has a large upper and a very small lower lobe. The rear edges of all fins are white. The teeth of the upper jaw are small and pointed. In the lower jaw, the teeth are comb-shaped and, after a point, have additional small peaks. They are much larger than those of the upper jaw.

distribution

The pointed head seven-gill shark lives worldwide, in the Atlantic , Pacific , Indian Ocean and also in the Mediterranean , on continental slopes and island bases at depths of 0 to 1000 meters.

Way of life

The sharks live near the ground alone or in large groups. They are fast active swimmers. They feed on bony fish , smaller cartilaginous fish, crustaceans and cephalopods . Pointed-head seven-gill sharks are viviparous ( ovoviviparous ). They get 9 to 20 young per litter.

literature

Alessandro de Maddalena, Harald Bänsch: Sharks in the Mediterranean , Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH, Stuttgart 2005 ( ISBN 3-440-10458-3 )

Web links

Commons : Pointed-head seven-gill shark ( Heptranchias perlo ) - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Pointed-head seven-gill shark on Fishbase.org (English)

Heptranchias perlo inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Endangered Species . Posted by: Paul, L. & Fowler, S. (SSG Australia & Oceania Regional Workshop, March 2003), 2003. Retrieved September 23, 2013.