Lesser-Spotted Dogfish (Scyllium Canicula)

Latin name: Scyllium canicula
Common name: Lesser-spotted dogfish
Other names: European nursehound
Other languages: E: Gat, F: Petite Roussette, D: Kleingefleckter Katzenhai
Family: Scyliorhinidae

Distribution: Atlantic, English Channel, North Sea, it is the most common small shark of the Mediterranean.

Habitat: On sandy and muddy ground, at reefs, from shallow waters down to 100 metres or more.

Reproduction: During corpulation, the male twists himself around the middle of the female. During breeding seasons eggs are laid in pairs every one or two weeks. The embryonic development takes 9 months.

Diet: Invertebrates and small fish.

Size: Up to 70cm.

Did you know: The heartbeat and movements of the embryo can be seen through the transluscent egg-case (6.5cm).