White-spotted bull head shark

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White-spotted bull head shark
Systematics
without rank: Sharks (selachii)
Superordinate : Galeomorphii
Order : Bullhead shark (Heterodontiformes)
Family : Bullhead sharks (Heterodontidae)
Genre : Bullhead sharks ( heterodontus )
Type : White-spotted bull head shark
Scientific name
Heterodontus ramalheira
( Smith , 1949)

The white-spotted bull head shark ( Heterodontus ramalheira ) is a bull head shark up to 80 cm long . It occurs in the coastal area of ​​East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

Appearance and characteristics

The white-spotted bull head shark can reach a maximum body length of about 80 cm. It has a reddish-brown body color with numerous white spots over the entire body. The juvenile sharks have a pattern of thin parallel and dark stripes that disappear with age.

The shark has a cylindrical body with a conical head. The snout is very small and broadly rounded, the eye bulges are low. It has an anal fin and two dorsal fins , both of which are thorny. The first dorsal fin begins above the base of the pectoral fins, the second dorsal fin behind the free end of the pelvic fins. The shark has five comparatively long gill slits and a small injection hole (spiraculum) below the eye.

Way of life

The white-spotted bullhead shark lives on the edge of the continental shelf at depths between 40 and 275 meters, but mostly below 100 meters. It feeds mainly on crabs .

Like all bullhead sharks, it is likely to lay eggs, but no eggs of this species have yet been identified. The young sharks have a body length of about 18 cm, the animals reach sexual maturity at a length of about 60 to 75 cm.

distribution

Distribution of the white-spotted bull head shark

The distribution area of ​​the white-spotted bull head shark is in the coastal area of ​​East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula . It extends from South Africa ( KwaZulu-Natal ) through Mozambique and Somalia to Oman .

literature

Web links