small-spotted catshark
scyliorhinus canicula latin

This species is less common than the small-spotted catshark.

Unlike in the small-spotted catshark, the large flaps of skin beside the nares do not reach the mouth.

Scyliorhinus canicula (Small-spotted catshark)

This species is more susceptible to overfishing than the small-spotted catshark because of its larger size and fragmented distribution, which limits the recovery potential of depleted local stocks.

The nursehound feeds on a variety of benthic organisms, including bony fishes such mackerel, deepwater cardinalfishes, dragonets, gurnards, flatfishes, and herring, and smaller sharks such as the small-spotted catshark.

It shares its range with the more common and closely related small-spotted catshark (S. canicula), which it resembles in appearance but can be distinguished from in having larger spots and nasal skin flaps that do not extend to the mouth.

Shark Central lets visitors pet the many species of sharks including Lesser guitarfish, Pyjama shark, Port Jackson shark, Leopard shark, Puffadder shyshark, Small-spotted catshark, Crested bullhead shark, Spotted Gully Shark (Sharptooth houndshark).

Small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula)