smooth dogfish

Mustelus canis

Schools patrol the bottom for crabs and lobsters

Tropical
Northern Hemisphere
Regional distribution
Atlantic Ocean
Central America and the Caribbean
North America
South America
Elongated
Large
Tropical fish

The dusky smooth-hound (Mustelus canis), also called the smooth dogfish or the dog shark, is a species of houndshark in the family Triakidae. This shark is an olive grey or brown in color, and may have shades of yellow or grayish white. Females live to 16 years and males have a lifespan of 10 years.

Class: Sharks and Rays
Order: Ground Sharks
Family: Triakidae
Genus: Mustelus
Maximum length: 150 cm
Body shape: elongated
Distribution: Western Atlantic: Massachusetts to Florida (USA), northern and western Gulf of Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba, Jamaica, Barbados, Bermuda, Bahamas; southern Brazil to northern Argentina; also western Gulf of Mexico and Antilles (Ref. 26938 ). Northwest Atlantic: Canada (Ref. 5951 ). Allopatric with Mustelus mustelus and sympatric with Mustelus norrisi . One of the two new allopatric species of canis- norrisi-like smooth-hounds in this region is often confused with this species (Ref. 244 ). The subspecies Mustelus canis insularis , occurring at several Caribbean islands, was identified by Heemstra (Ref. 27770 ).
Conservation status: NTNear Threatened

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