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Angel sharks

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Insects, Reptiles and
Fish

                  iAngel sharks
   Sand devil, Squatina dumeril
   Sand devil, Squatina dumeril

                             Conservation status

   Critically endangered (CR)
            Scientific classification

   Kingdom:  Animalia
   Phylum:   Chordata
   Class:    Chondrichthyes
   Subclass: Elasmobranchii
   Order:    Squatiniformes
             Buen, 1926
   Family:   Squatinidae
             Bonaparte, 1838
   Genus:    Squatina
             Duméril, 1806

                                   Species

   See text.

   The angel sharks are an unusual group of sharks with flattened bodies
   and broad pectoral fins that give them a strong resemblance to skates
   and rays. The 16-odd known species are all classified in a single
   genus, Squatina, belonging to its own family, Squatinidae, and order
   Squatiniformes. They occur worldwide in temperate and tropical seas.

Appearance

   While the forward part of the angel shark's body is broad and
   flattened, the rear part retains a muscular appearance more typical of
   other sharks. The eyes and spiracles are on top, and the five gill
   slits are on bottom. Both the pectorals and the pelvic fins are large
   and held horizontally. There are two dorsal fins, no anal fin, and
   unusually for sharks, the lower lobe of the caudal fin is longer than
   the upper lobe. Most types grow to a length of 1.5 m (5 ft), with the
   Japanese angelshark, Squatina japonica, known to reach 2 meters.

Habitat

   Angel sharks are bottom-dwellers, burying themselves in sand or mud,
   then lunging to snap up prey, which includes fish, crustaceans, and
   various types of mollusks. The Pacific angelshark, Squatina
   californica, is also known to leave the bottom at night to forage.

Behaviour

   Although they are not normally aggressive, they do bite when stepped on
   or handled.

Reproduction

   Angel sharks are ovoviviparous, with litters known up to 13 pups.

Commercial value

   The sharks were long considered of no commercial interest, but in 1978,
   Michael Wagner, a fish processor in Santa Barbara, California began to
   promote angel sharks, and 310 metric tons were taken off California in
   1984. The fishery devastated the population and is now regulated.

Protection

   Angel sharks have been declared a critically endangered species by the
   World Conservation Union ( IUCN). Their numbers have deteriorated so
   much that in some bodies of water, including the North Sea, they have
   become extinct.

Species

     * Sawback angelshark, Squatina aculeata Cuvier, 1829
     * African angelshark, Squatina africana Regan, 1908
     * Argentine angelshark, Squatina argentina (Marini, 1930)
     * Chilean angelshark, Squatina armata (Philippi, 1887)
     * Australian angelshark, Squatina australis Regan, 1906
     * Pacific angelshark, Squatina californica Ayres, 1859
     * Sand devil, Squatina dumeril Lesueur, 1818
     * Taiwan angelshark, Squatina formosa Shen & Ting, 1972
     * Angular angel shark, Squatina guggenheim Marini, 1936
     * Japanese angelshark, Squatina japonica Bleeker, 1858
     * Clouded angelshark, Squatina nebulosa Regan, 1906
     * Smoothback angelshark, Squatina oculata Bonaparte, 1840
     * Squatina punctata Marini, 1936
     * Squatina squatina (Linnaeus, 1758)
     * Ornate angelshark, Squatina tergocellata McCulloch, 1914
     * Ocellated angelshark, Squatina tergocellatoides Chen, 1963
     * Eastern Australian angelshark, Squatina sp. A (provisional scientic
       name)
     * Western Australian angelshark, Squatina sp. B (provisional scientic
       name)
     * Cortez angelshark, Squatina sp. (provisional scientic name)

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_sharks"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
