Blunt Nose Six Gill Shark

Fact File: Common Name(s): Blunt Nose Six Gill Shark Scientific Name: Hexanchus griseus  (Bonnaterre, 1758) Usual Size:To 482cm, although specimens off the UK usually between 150-200cm UK Record Weights from rod/line: Shore:V 5lb Qualifying Weight Boat:9lb 8oz MAFF Minimum Size: Shore: Boat:

Identification: Upper side of the body grey or brown and the under side lighter than the upper side. Six gill slits rather than the normal 5 as found in other shark species. Breeding: Aplacentally viviparous (live bearing). Litter sizes between 22 and 100 pups which are 60cm at birth. Females not mature until attaining the size of 450cm to maximum length of 482cm Habitat: Mostly a deep water shark, although juveniles have been known to come into shallower waters. Found at depths of 200-1000m. Usually located on the bottom, rarely ventures to the surface. Food: Boney fishes (mainly Cod, Pollack, Haddock, Pout and Hake) as well as other elasmobranchs (sharks, skates and rays). Believed it may also prey on seals. Range: Within UK waters recorded off the coast of Ireland and Scotland Additional Notes: Potential weight in excess of 1000lbs. 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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