Spadenose shark

Spatennasenhai ( Scoliodon laticaudus ) from the first description of Müller & Henle, 1838

The Spatennasenhai ( Scoliodon laticaudus ) is a species in the genus Scoliodon within the requiem sharks ( Carcharhinidae ). The species is widespread in many parts of the Indian Ocean from Tanzania to India and the Red Sea.

Appearance and characteristics

The Spatennasenhai is a slender shark with a body length of 75 cm maximum and average sizes between 50 and 60 cm. He has a bronze tint to gray back and a white belly without patterning. It resembles in habit the blue sharks of the genus Carcharhinus, but has a striking and prolonged spade snout. He has an anal fin and two dorsal fins, the second dorsal fin is much smaller than the first and anal fins. He does not have a hole injection and the eyes are relatively small with Nick hides. The first dorsal fin is triangularly shaped and clearly quoting behind the pectoral fins. The rear end of the first dorsal fin is above the pelvic fins. The anal fin substantially greater than the second dorsal fin.

Way of life

The Spatennasenhai is a Flachwasserart and feeds from different predatory fish, especially soil types. The sharks are viviparous and form a yolk sac placenta ( placental viviparous ). The females get in a litter of between one and 14 juveniles with a length of about 13 to 15 cm. Some of the spade nose shark can occur very frequently and form schools.

Dissemination

The species is widespread in many parts of the Indian Ocean from Tanzania to India and Sri Lanka. It is a shallow-water inhabitants of the continental shelf, the preferred stony grounds. For the spade nose shark in the western Pacific from Japan to Indonesia and the Philippines are Scoliodon macrorhynchos, where the Bay of Bengal by a third, undescribed species or Scoliodon muelleri, which was synonymized with Scoliodon laticaudus.