Kingdom Animalia Subclass Elasmobranchii Family Centrophoridae Scientific name Centrophorus uyato Rank Species | Phylum Chordata Order Squaliformes Genus Centrophorus Higher classification Centrophorus | |
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Similar Centrophorus, Lowfin gulper shark, Little sleeper shark, Shark, Plunket shark | ||
The little gulper shark (Centrophorus uyato) is a small, deepwater dogfish of the family Centrophoridae.
Contents
Physical characteristics
The little gulper shark has no anal fin, two dorsal fins with spines, slightly humped back before the first dorsal fin, darker areas of coloration above gills and on dorsal fins, long free rear tips on pectoral fins, and a notched caudal fin.
Distribution
The little gulper shark lives in the northern Gulf of Mexico, the eastern Atlantic from Spain south to the Cape of Good Hope, the Mediterranean west of Sicily, the western Indian Ocean around Mozambique, Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal around India, and possibly Taiwan.
Habits and habitat
The little gulper is a common dogfish and lives near the bottom between 50 and 1,400 m. They are ovoviviparous with usually only one pup per litter. They eat bony fish and squid.