Somniosidae (sleeper sharks)
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Squalomorphii >
Squaliformes
Deep-water dogfish with slender, 1-cusped upper
teeth, large lower cutting teeth, tiny fin spines, rounded pectoral
fins, and abdominal ridges.
Families found in Southern Africa
Centroscymnus
coelolepis (Portugese shark)
A stocky, blackish-brown dogfish with a short
snout, large mouth, short labial furrows and large round flat
overlapping denticles in adults (young with tricuspidate denticles);
lower teeth with short, bent cusps. |
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Centroscymnus
owstoni (Shortnose velvet dogfish) |
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Centroselachus crepidater (Longnose velvet
dogfish)
A slender black or blackish brown dogfish with
a very long snout, greatly elongated labial furrows that nearly
encircle the small mouth, and round flat overlapping denticles;
lower teeth with moderately long, bent cusps. |
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Somniosus antarcticus (Southern sleeper
shark) A gigantic deepwater, heavy-bodied shark with
small low, spineless dorsal fins, a moderately long rounded snout, a
long lower caudal lobe, small unicuspid upper teeth, and
moderate-sized, bent-cusped, lower slicing teeth. Colour medium grey
or brown, sometimes with transverse dark bands or small light spots. |
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Zameus squamulosus (Velvet dogfish) A small slender black dogfish with a moderately
long snout, narrow mouth, short labial furrows, and high-cusped,
knifelike lower teeth; denticles tricuspidate with transverse
ridges. |
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Text by Leonard J.V. Compagno, David A. Ebert
and Malcolm J. Smale
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