Dogfish shark/Spurdog

Scientific name: Squalus acanthias
The spiny dogfish shark is the most abundant shark. This small shark is also known as the piked dogfish, skittledog, spotted dogfish, white-spotted dogfish, codshark, and thorndog. Its dorsal fin has spines that are mildly poisonous. More is known about it than any other species of shark; it is often studied in scientific laboratories. It is used extensively by people as food, fertilizer, hide, pet food, and liver oil.

The spiny dogfish shark is a small shark that is deep gray with some white spots; the belly is off-white. It had two dorsal fins, each preceded by a mildly poisonous spin. It has a short snout, large eyes and no anal fin.

The life span of a dogfish ranges between 25-100 years. They feed primarily on bony fishes, but also take molluscs, crustaceans and other invertebrates. This is a sluggish, migratory species, which often forms large schools.

Dogfish sharks are ovoviviparous - they give birth to live young. The young are nourished by a yolk sac, rather than a placenta. Females deliver litters of 2-10 young every two years. These are the most abundant sharks.

The spiny dogfish shark stays in water that is between 45°F - 59°F (7°C - 15°C). It will venture into brackish waters. Dogfish are mostly bottom-dwellers, dwelling in depths from the surface down to 400 fathoms (2,400 feet). They are found worldwide in temperate and sub-arctic waters, in the temperate and subarctic latitudes of the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. These sharks have even been found in the Black sea and Mediterranean sea. It migrates to stay in water between 45°F - 59°F (7°C - 15°F).

Dogfish are not considered to be dangerous, but their teeth and their slightly poisonous dorsal fin spines could do some damage.

Statistics: Dogfish have been known to reach 9kg, they can reach 160cm in length

Dogfish SharkClassification:

• Kingdom Animalia (animals)
• Phylum Chordata
• SubPhylum Vertebrata (vertebrates)
• Class Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish)
• Subclass Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays)
• Order Squaliformes (dogfish sharks)
• Family Squalidae
• Genus Squalus
• Species acanthias