smalltooth sand tiger, bumpytail ragged-tooth (Odontaspis ferox) Description
English: Pacific Ring of Fire Expedition. A rare sight at hydrothermal systems, this shark (~ 1.5 meters long, 5 ft), surprised us at Kasuga-2. Mariana Arc region, Western Pacific Ocean.
Date April 2004
Source NOAA Photo Library: expl0078 http://www.flickr.com/photos/noaaphotolib/5029460961/
Author Pacific Ring of Fire 2004 Expedition. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration; Dr. Bob Embley, NOAA PMEL, Chief Scientist .
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Expl0078_-_Flickr_-_NOAA_Photo_Library.jpg
The smalltooth sand tiger or bumpytail ragged-tooth (Odontaspis ferox) is a species of mackerel shark in the family Odontaspididae, with a patchy but worldwide distribution in tropical and warm temperate waters. They usually inhabit deepwater rocky habitats, though they are occasionally encountered in shallow water, and have been known to return to the same location year after year. This rare species is often mistaken for the much more common grey nurse shark (Carcharias taurus), from which it can be distinguished by its first dorsal fin, which is larger than the second and placed further forward.
Order: Lamniformes
Family: Odontaspididae
Genus: Odontaspis
Species: Odontaspis ferox (A. Risso, 1810)
Synonyms:
Odontaspis herbsti Whitley, 1950
Squalus ferox A. Risso, 1810