Frog shark
| Frog shark | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Order: | Squaliformes |
| Family: | Somniosidae |
| Genus: | Somniosus |
| Species: | S. longus |
| Binomial name | |
| Somniosus longus S. Tanaka (I), 1912 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Heteroscymnus longus Tanaka, 1912 | |
The frog shark (Somniosus longus) is a very rare species of shark mainly found in deeper water. It is in the sleeper shark family with the Greenland shark.
Description
The frog shark is known to grow to at least 143 cm in length.[1]
Range
Fewer than a dozen specimens of this deepwater shark have been collected, mostly from the Pacific Ocean. The frog shark has been recorded off the coasts of Japan, New Zealand, and possibly Salas y Gómez, as well as the Nazca Ridge, from as shallow as 120–150 m and as deep as 1,116 m.[1]
Threats
The frog shark is occasionally caught by trawl, longline, and crab-pot fisheries. As of 2015, no current conservation efforts are in place.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Francis, M. & Tanaka, S. (2009). "Somniosus longus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
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