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Whaler Sharks - seafdec.org.my

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36 S h a r k s a n d R a y s o f B o r n e o<br />

Bluntnose Sixgill Shark<br />

Hexanchus griseus (Bonnaterre, 1788)<br />

2 1<br />

3 4<br />

Other names: Sixgill Shark, Bull Shark, Mud Shark, Cow Shark (English), Cucut<br />

Meong, Hiu Tahu Putih (Indonesian), Yu Insang Enam (Malaysian)<br />

Identifying features:<br />

1 6 gill slits<br />

2 small, greenish eye<br />

3 single dorsal fin<br />

4 dorsal fin usually plain (occasionally with narrow white posterior margin)<br />

5 snout broadly rounded (viewed ventrally)<br />

6 lower jaw with 6 rows of large, comb-like teeth<br />

Size: To at least 480 cm; males and females mature at 285–315 and 420 cm respectively;<br />

born at 65–70 cm.<br />

Distribution: Almost circumglobal in tropical and temperate waters.<br />

Habitat and biology: Adults normally found near the bottom in deepwater to at<br />

least 2500 m; young sometimes enter shallow coastal bays. Viviparous, with yolk-sac<br />

dependency; gives birth to litters of 47–108 pups. Diet includes bony fishes, elasmobranchs,<br />

cephalopods and crustaceans, and adults also feed on larger bony fishes (e.g.<br />

billfishes), cetaceans and seals.<br />

Utilisation: Caught rarely so of minimal commercial value.<br />

Conservation status: IUCN Red List: Near Threatened.<br />

Local synonyms: None.<br />

References: Ebert (2003); White & Dharmadi (2010).

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