Hemigaleidae

Hakenzahnhai ( Chaenogaleus macrostoma )

The weasel sharks ( Hemigaleidae ) are a family of relatively small ground sharks ( Carcharhiniformes ). They live in the eastern tropical Atlantic, possibly up to the coast of New England, and in the Indo-Pacific, always close to the coast, near the continents, not in the central Pacific.

Features

Weasel sharks are slender, usually have a fairly elongated snout and 0.5 to 2.40 meters long. Most species can reach a length of one meter. Their eyes are oval in shape and are horizontal, the spray hole is small. Weasel sharks have two medium sized, spineless dorsal fins and an anal fin. The first dorsal fin sits well ahead of the pelvic fins approach. The heterocerke tail fin has a wave-like upper edge and a well-developed lower lobe. On the tail fins stem are pit-like depressions. The labial in the corners of the mouth are medium in size. The intestine has a spiral folds.

Way of life

Weasel sharks live up to depths of 100 meters. They eat small bony fishes, small sharks and rays, crustaceans and echinoderms. Some species feed mainly on cephalopods.

Species

There are eight species belonging to four genera.

• Chaenogaleus ( Gill, 1862) Hakenzahnhai ( Chaenogaleus macrostoma ( Girard, 1855) )

• Australian Wieselhai ( Hemigaleus australiensis (White, Last & Compagno, 2005) )
• Sicklefin Wieselhai ( Hemigaleus microstoma ( Bleeker, 1852) )

• Fossilhai ( Hemipristis elongata ( Klunzinger, 1871) )

• Whitetip Wieselhai ( Paragaleus leucolomatus ( Compagno & Smale, 1985) )
• Atlantic Wieselhai ( Paragaleus pectoralis ( Garman, 1906) )
• Slim Wieselhai ( Paragaleus randalli ( Compagno, Krupp & Carpenter, 1996) )
• Straight teeth Wieselhai ( Paragaleus Tengi (Chen, 1963) )