Bluntnose Sixgill Shark

Bluntnose Sixgill Shark

Hexanchus griseus
Bluntnose Sixgill Shark

Family, Genus, Class & Etymology

Family    Hexanchidae
Description    Cow sharks
Environment    Marine
Etymology    Greek, exa = six + Greek, agchone = to strangle
Genus    3
No. of Species    4
Order    Hexanchiformes
Class    Elasmobranchii
Reproductive Guild    Bearers
Distribution    Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Most species are deepwater inhabitants of the outer continental shelves and upper continental slopes down to at least 1875 m depth. Gill openings 6 in Hexanchus, 7 in Heptranchias and Notorynchus. Margin of first gill discontinuous across throat. Mouth subterminal with large, bladelike, comb-shaped teeth in lower jaw. One dorsal fin. Caudal fin with strong subterminal notch. Cow sharks are ovoviviparous and lack a yolk-sac placenta. They feed on relatively large marine organisms, including other sharks, rays, bony fish, crustacean and carrion. Species range in size from 140 to 480 cm. hexa- (gr.) = six