Angelshark

This article is about the genus. For the species, see Squatina squatina.
"Angel Sharks" redirects here. For the French movie, see Marie from the Bay of Angels.

Angel shark
Temporal range: Aptian–Recent
Australian angelshark (Squatina australis)
Sand devil (Squatina dumeril)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Division: Selachii
Superorder: Squalomorphi
Order: Squatiniformes
Family: Squatinidae
Genus: Squatina
A. M. C. Duméril, 1806
Type species
Squatina squatina
Synonyms
  • Squalraia De la Pylaie, 1835
Angelsharks, off the coast of Fuerteventura

Angel sharks are sharks belonging to the genus Squatina. They are the only living members of the family Squatinidae and order Squatiniformes. They commonly inhabit sandy seabeds close to 150 m (490 ft) in depth.

Squatina and other Squatiniformes differ from other sharks in having flattened bodies and broad pectoral fins that give them a strong resemblance to rays. They occur worldwide in temperate and tropical seas. Most species inhabit shallow temperate or tropical seas, but a few species inhabit deeper water, down to 1,300 m (4,300 ft).[1] Angel sharks are sometimes called monkfish, although this name is also applied to members of the genus Lophius.

While some species occur over a wide geographic range, the majority are restricted to a smaller area. Restriction in geographic range might be as a result of the behaviour of Squatina species, which are ambush predators with a corresponding stationary bottom-dwelling habit. Thus, trans-ocean migration is extremely unlikely, even though large-scale coastal migratory patterns have been reported in species such as Squatina squatina.[2]

Many species are now classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Once common over large areas of the Northeast Atlantic from Norway, Sweden, Morocco and the Canary Islands, to the Mediterranean and Black Seas, fishing pressure has resulted in significant population decline.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference EoF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Stelbrink, Björn; von Rintelen, Thomas; Cliff, Geremy; Kriwet, Jürgen (February 2010). "Molecular systematics and global phylogeography of angel sharks (genus Squatina)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 54 (2): 395–404. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2009.07.029. PMID 19647086.