The Mozambique bull shark [1] , or the African horned shark [2] ( lat. Heterodontus ramalheira ) is a rare and poorly studied species of cartilaginous fish of the genus of bull sharks of the family of different-toothed sharks . It lives in the western Indian Ocean at a depth of 40 to 275 m. It probably reproduces by laying eggs. It feeds on crustaceans . The maximum recorded length is 64 cm. It is not the subject of commercial fishing. The view is known for only a few specimens.
| Mozambique Bull Shark |
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| Scientific classification |
|---|
| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Squad: | Heterodont ( Heterodontiformes Berg , 1940 ) |
| Family: | Multi-Toothed Sharks ( Heterodontidae J. E. Gray , 1851 ) |
| View: | Mozambique Bull Shark |
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| International scientific name |
|---|
Heterodontus ramalheira
( JLB Smith , 1949 ) |
| Synonyms |
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- Gyropleurodus ramalheira JLB Smith , 1949
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| Area |
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| Security status |
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Not enough data IUCN Data Deficient : 44614 |
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Content
The species was first scientifically described in 1949 [3] . The holotype is a female 58.8 cm long, caught off the coast of Mozambique .
Mozambique bull sharks live in the eastern Indian Ocean on the outer edge of the continental shelf and in the upper part of the mainland slope at a depth of 40 to 275 m, mostly deeper than 100 m [4] [5] . These sharks are found off the coast of Mozambique, Oman , Somalia , South Africa ( KwaZulu-Natal ) and Yemen .
Mozambique bull sharks have a large head with a blunt and short snout. There are fairly high infraorbital protrusions, which abruptly break off behind the eyes. The nostrils are framed by inlet and outlet holes with long skin patches. There are splashes behind the eyes. The front teeth are small and pointed. Lateral teeth are larger, elongated longitudinally and have the shape of molars.
A slender body has the shape of a cylinder. The pectoral fins are large and rounded. Dorsal fins high. The first dorsal fin is larger than the second. Its base begins above the base of the pectoral fins. There is a vertical spine at the base of both dorsal fins. The base of the second dorsal fin is located between the bases of the ventral and pectoral fins. The base of the anal fin is located behind the base of the second dorsal fin. The main color is red-brown in color, small white spots are scattered on it [4] .
Mozambique bull sharks probably reproduce by laying eggs. The diet consists mainly of crabs. Males reach a length of at least 64 cm [4] . Newborn and young sharks were found off the southern coast of Mozambique at a depth of 110 m [6] .
These sharks are not dangerous to humans and are not an object of industrial prey. Data to assess the conservation status of the species is not enough [5] .
- ↑ Reshetnikov Yu.S. , Kotlyar A.N. , Russ T.S. , Shatunovsky M.I. The Bilingual Dictionary of Animal Names. Fish. Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / edited by Acad. V. E. Sokolova . - M .: Rus. Yaz., 1989 .-- P. 17 .-- 12,500 copies. - ISBN 5-200-00237-0 .
- ↑ Gubanov E.P., Kondyurin V.V., Myagkov N.A. Sharks of the World Ocean: A Guide-Guide. - M .: Agropromizdat, 1986. - S. 44. - 272 p.
- ↑ Smith JLB 1949 (19 Aug. [for May]) Interesting fishes of three genera new to South Africa. The Fish Culturist v. 2 (no. 17): 367–374
- ↑ 1 2 3 Compagno, LJV ,. FAO species catalog. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalog of sharks species known to date. Hexanchiformes to Lamniformes. FAO Fish Synop., (125) Vol. 4, Pt. 1. - 1984 .-- 249 p. - P. 163.
- ↑ 1 2 Ebert, DA 2004. Heterodontus ramalheira. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 28 December 2012.
- ↑ Compagno, LJV 2001. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalog of shark species known to date. Vol. 2. Bullhead, mackeral and carpet sharks (Heterodontiformes, Lamniformes and Orectolobiformes). FAO species catalog for fisheries purposes. No. 1. Vol. 2. FAO, Rome
