Photo © Alexa Elliot
Photo © Alexa Elliot
Photo © Alexa Elliot
Typical species:
Short-tail Catshark
Photo © Schmidt Ocean Institute
Genera:
1
Species:
4
Bristle sharks
The species of the bristle shark family, which was only established in 2024, are mainly found in the western Pacific and western Indian Oceans. They live at depths of 150 - 1,500 m and grow to between 55 - 107 cm in length. The peduncle is short and laterally flattened with a crest of enlarged dermal denticles. The first dorsal fin lies in front of or just behind the pelvic fins and is considerably smaller than the second dorsal fin. The anal fin is larger than the first and second dorsal fins. The sequence of the mitochondrial NADH2 gene clearly distinguishes bristle sharks from catsharks and deepwater catsharks.