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The shark species "Horn shark"

Photo
Horn shark
Horn shark
Photo © Jeremy Safford-Deitsch

Photo © Jeremy Safford-Deitsch

Range Map
North America South America Africa Australia Europe Asia
North America South America Africa Australia Europe Asia
Horn shark

Rough area of distribution

Taxonomy
Kingdom:
Animals (Animalia)
Phylum:
Vertebrates (Chordata)
Class:
Cartilagenous fishes (Chondrichthyes)
Order:
Bullhead sharks (Heterodontiformes)
Family:
Bullhead sharks (Heterodontidae)
Genus:
Heterodontus
Names
Scientific:
Heterodontus francisci
English:
Horn shark
German:
Hornhai
French:
Requin dormeur cornu
Spanish:
Dormilon cornudo
Appearance
Cylindrical trunk. Head slightly elevated. Spiracles present, behind and below the eyes. Suborbital ridges are moderately high. Both dorsal fins with a stount spine. Origin of first dorsal fin over pectoral fin bases. Anal fin present.
Coloration
Grey to light brown, with scattered small spots on fins and body. No further conspicuous markings.
Distribution
Eastern Pacific: Central California to Gulf of California. Possibly around Ecuador and Peru.
Biology
Lives mostly close to the surface (2m to 11m water depth), down to maximum 150 m. Prefers stony and sandy bottoms, and kelp forests. Nocturnal, mostly solitary. When they move on the bottom they can use their pectorals to move forward. Sluggish, during daytime mainly motionless on the bottom with the head stuck in a crevice. It seems that their activity span is correlated to the light intensity.
Diet
Benthic invertebrates, mostly sea urchins, crabs and possibly abalone (bivalve).
Size
Average size between 70 cm and 90 cm, maximum total length about 120 cm.
Reproduction
Egg laying (oviparous). It has been observed (in aquaria) that the egg deposition starts about 2 weeks after the mating event and lasts a period of about 4 months. During that time 2 eggs are laid at the same time, within a 2 week interval. Pups hatch after 7 to 9 months, size at birth is about 15 cm. Males reach sexual maturity at a minimum length of about 60 cm.
Similar Species
Mexican hornshark but the dots on the Mexican hornshark are much bigger and the suborbital ridges are less dominant.
Vulnerability
Category: Data Deficient (DD)
Criteria: -
Last evaluated: 2015
Trend: Unknown




© IUCN Red List 2024. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Version 2024-2.

Danger to Humans
Harmless.

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