Cartilaginous fish · Squatiniformes · Squatinidae
Angelshark
Squatina squatina
It faces an extremely high risk of imminent extinction in the wild. See full glossary
The angelshark is a flattened, ray-like shark that buries itself in the sand and hunts from ambush. It was once common throughout the Mediterranean and the European Atlantic and has now disappeared from most of its range through bottom trawling. Its last great refuge is the Canary Islands, which have become the world stronghold of the species.
Weight
25 kg – 80 kg
Size
1.2 m – 2.4 m
Lifespan
35 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
Very hard
Fun facts
- The Canaries are its last great refuge in the world: the species has disappeared from most of the Mediterranean and the European Atlantic, and the shallow waters of the archipelago now hold the most important population left, which has made Spain directly responsible for its future.
- It is a shark that looks like a ray: a flattened body, broad pectoral fins and eyes on top, a case of convergence with the batoids that makes it unrecognisable as a shark.
- It hunts from ambush buried in the sand with only its eyes showing, and throws its head up and forward to engulf prey by suction in a tenth of a second.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - cartilaginous skeleton (fish)
- Habitat & environment
- Coastal sandy and muddy bottoms of the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean, down to 150 metres
- Sexual maturity
- 12 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 10 months of gestation
- Litter / clutch size
- 12 live young
Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapWhere to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 13 de 34 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Angelshark — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Tope
Galeorhinus galeus
Common Guitarfish
Rhinobatos rhinobatos
Shortfin Mako
Isurus oxyrinchus
Near ThreatenedBlue Shark
Prionace glauca
Bluntnose Sixgill Shark
Hexanchus griseus
Thornback Ray
Raja clavata
How to help
The angelshark is classified as critically endangered. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 10 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about angelshark.
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