Fact File: Common Name(s): Common Smooth Hound Scientific Name: Mustelus mustelus (Linnaeus, 1758) Usual Size:To a maximum of 164cm. In UK waters to 120/135cm UK Record Weights from rod/line: Shore: 17lb 8oz Boat: 28lb MAFF Minimum Size: Shore: Boat:

Identification: Upper body grey to pale brown, going to off white on the underside. There are no white spots above the lateral line. Breeding: Placentally viviparous (live bearing) Litter size between 4/15, although usually less than 15. At birth 30cm. Females mature at 80cm Habitat: Most commonly found in coastal shallow waters - depths to 150m, but also occasionally mid-water, open ground, not reefs. Food: Crustaceans, (hermit crabs, shore and edible crabs plus squat lobsters) and occasionally rag worms Range: British Isles to Cape of Good Hope, includingthe Mediterranean - mainly coastal regions Additional Notes: REFERENCES: A Field Guide to The Sharks of British Coastal Waters - Vas 1991 FAO Species Catalogue 4 - Sharks of The World - Compagno Fishes of the North-Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean - Whitehead, Bauchot, Hureau, Nielsen, Tortonese Key to the Fishes of Northern Europe - Wheeler

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