The common name ‘dogfish’ was given by fisherman to small sharks due to their habit of hunting shoals of fish in ‘packs’. The spiny dogfish is a small, slim fish with a narrow, pointed snout and distinctive white spots. The back is slate grey to brown and the belly is pale grey to white. It has two dorsal fins, the first of which is smaller. They both have a spine which can inject venom causing strong pain lasting for several hours, and very occasionally death in humans. The pectoral fins are curved and have rounded tip.