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Squatina squatina
Max Length
2.4m
Litter Size
7-25 pups
Overview
A flat, ray-like shark that lies buried in sand to ambush passing prey. Critically endangered in the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic. Responsible for occasional bites on divers who disturb it. Once widespread; now locally extinct across much of its historic range.
Habitat
The shark prefers mud and sand bottoms inshore 16.4 ft [5 m] on coasts and estuaries up to over 492.1 [150 m] on the continental shelf.
Distribution
Northeast Atlantic: historically from Norway to Mauritania, Canary Islands, Mediterranean and Black Sea. They have now vanished from some of these areas.
Behavior
Torpid by day, lying buried with eyes protruding out of the sand or mud. They swim strongly off of the bottom at night. They are seasonally migratory in colder water, moving northwards in the summer.
Biology
Appearance
Recorded
7
Fatal
0
Fatality rate
0.0%
Years
1910–2020
Top countries
Years with most incidents
Counts are based on the species field of the Global Shark Attack File. Identifications by witnesses are often uncertain; treat figures as recorded incidents, not authoritative totals.
Shark Data Lab