Cartilaginous fish · Carcharhiniformes · Scyliorhinidae

Nursehound

Scyliorhinus stellaris

Near Threatened

It could become endangered in the near future if current threats go unchecked. See full glossary

The nursehound is the larger relative of the lesser spotted dogfish, with bigger, darker spots and a size that can exceed a metre and a half. It prefers rocky bottoms and seaweed beds, and like its relative it lays eggs in horny capsules with tendrils. It is a frequent bycatch of Mediterranean trawling.

Weight

2 kg – 10 kg

Size

80 cm – 1.7 m

Lifespan

20 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Moderate

OceanCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Near Threatened Fish Ocean

12countries 35parks 68dive sites1same family

Fun facts

Its egg capsules are the largest of any European shark and can exceed ten centimetres without counting the tendrils, which the female tangles in sea fans and seaweed to anchor them.
It is told apart from the lesser spotted dogfish by the size of its spots, much larger and further apart, and by the edge of the nostrils, which in the nursehound do not reach the mouth.
It is a regular target for divers in the Mediterranean and the Bay of Biscay, where it is found resting motionless on the bottom among the rocks during the day.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - cartilaginous skeleton (fish)
Habitat & environment: Rocky and seaweed bottoms of the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean, between 20 and 400 metres
Sexual maturity: 6 years
Gestation / incubation: 10 months of egg incubation
Litter / clutch size: 80 eggs

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scyliorhinus_stellaris