Starry Smooth-hound

Fascinating facts about the Starry Smooth-hound

• The starry smooth-hound tops out at about 140 cm (55 in) long and is found from the surface down to 200 m (660 ft).
• The starry smooth-hound has a scattering of small white spots on its dorsal surface and a white ventral surface.
• When this shark reaches 80–85 cm (31–33 in) it’s ready to reproduce, and each pregnancy yields only seven to 15 pups, each born at about 30 cm (12 in). Carrying the embryos inside the oviduct and feeding them yolk and secretions is a low-key version of live birth, highlighting a reproductive strategy that balances few offspring with higher survival chances.
• The starry smooth-hound feeds mainly on crustaceans such as crabs, lobsters, slipper lobsters, and on molluscs.
• A 2021 sighting in London’s Thames River and an April 2022 record from Plymouth National Marine Park show the species can appear in heavily used waterways.

At a glance

About the Starry Smooth-hound

The starry smooth-hound, Mustelus asterias, is a sleek, long-bodied houndshark that reaches about 140 cm (55 in) in length. Its skin is a muted grey or grey-brown, speckled with a constellation of tiny white spots across the dorsal surface, while the ventral side is a clean white. The shark’s head is rounded, its two dorsal fins are nearly identical save for a slightly smaller rear fin, and its caudal fin bears a distinctive notch in the upper lobe. Its teeth are shallowly projecting, arranged in rows that are perfect for gripping the crustaceans that dominate its diet. In the cool, sandy or gravelly waters of the continental shelf, down to 200 m (660 ft), this lean predator prowls the eastern Atlantic and the entire Mediterranean, from southern Norway and the North Sea to the coasts of Algeria, Morocco, and Western Sahara. A surprising trait is its ovoviviparous reproduction: the embryos develop inside the mother’s oviduct, nourished by yolk and secretions, emerging as 30-cm (12-in) pups in litters of seven to fifteen. The starry smooth-hound’s life is a quiet ballet of hunting crabs, lobsters, slipper lobsters, and molluscs, maturing at about 80-85 cm (31-33 in) before joining the endless currents of its deep-sea realm. Occasionally, this shark makes unexpected appearances, such as its 2021 sighting in the Thames River of London and a 2022 observation within Plymouth National Marine Park. These rare incursions hint at a broader ecological flexibility, suggesting that while the species prefers the continental shelf’s soft substrates, it can navigate riverine and protected marine environments when conditions allow. Its modest size, subtle coloration, and understated hunting style belie a resilient creature that has persisted across a wide latitudinal range, from 61° N down to 16° N, constantly adapting to the shifting tapestry of the Atlantic and Mediterranean seascapes.

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