Small-spotted Catshark

Fascinating facts about the Small-spotted Catshark

• It can grow up to a length of about 1 m and weigh more than 2 kg, inhabiting depths down to 400 m (1,310 ft). Its rough, sandpaper-like skin covers a slender body with a grey-brown coloration.
• Egg cases are typically 4 cm by 2 cm and never exceed 6 cm, attached to seaweed or sessile invertebrates, where embryos develop for 5–11 months depending on water temperature. When they hatch, the pups are 9–10 cm long.
• A 2014 Exeter University study found individual sharks showing consistent personality traits, some more sociable, others more aggressive or exploratory. These behavioral differences were observed in a species previously thought to act uniformly. It reveals that even modest sharks have personalities, opening doors for welfare-focused research.
• Discarded sharks have a post-discard survival rate of about 98 %, and surveys indicate that populations are stable or increasing across most of their range. The species is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
• Because embryos can be collected at any stage throughout the year, researchers use this shark as a premier model for studying early vertebrate development. The eggs hatch before the blastocoel forms, yet develop normally in simple oxygenated seawater, allowing scientists to track five defined gastrulation stages. Its accessibility accelerates discoveries that apply to all chordates, from fish to humans.

At a glance

About the Small-spotted Catshark

The small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) glides over the sandy, gravelly and muddy floors of the continental shelves from Norway and the British Isles down to Senegal, and throughout the Mediterranean, between 63° N and 12° N. With a slender body that tapers to a blunt head, its rough, sandpaper-like skin is a muted grey-brown mottled with dark spots above, while the belly shines a pale grey-white. Growing to a maximum of about 1 m (3 ft 3 in) and weighing over 2 kg (4.4 lb), it patrols depths from a few metres to 400 m (1 310 ft), where its two dorsal fins sit near the tail and its nostrils sit low on the snout, linked to the mouth by a curved groove. In the crystal-clear shallows, females deposit their horn-capped egg cases, often clinging to macroalgae or sessile invertebrates, each measuring roughly 4 cm by 2 cm. The embryos develop for 5–11 months, emerging as 9–10 cm juveniles that employ a unique "scale-rasping" technique, anchoring prey on the dermal denticles near their tail before tearing bite-sized pieces. This opportunistic predator shifts its menu with age: tiny crustaceans for the young, larger hermit crabs and molluscs for adults, while still snacking on fish, echinoderms and polychaetes. A 2014 Exeter University study revealed that even this modest shark displays distinct personalities, some individuals are more sociable, others more aggressive or exploratory, adding a surprising layer of behavioural complexity to a species often overlooked.

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