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Hemigaleidae

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The weasel sharks are a family, the Hemigaleidae, of ground sharks found from the eastern Atlantic Ocean to the continental Indo-Pacific. They are found in shallow coastal waters to a depth of .

Species

weasel sharks

FAMILY

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassElasmobranchii
  4. OrderCarcharhiniformes
  5. FamilyHemigaleidae
Habitatmarine
Observations recorded15,358

via GBIF

Wikidata facts

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Hemigaleus australiensis csiro-nfc.jpg
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Commons category
Hemigaleidae
taxon name
Hemigaleidae
Sources (1)

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Article

6 sections
Contents
  • Genera and species
  • ''Chaenogaleus''
  • ''Hemigaleus''
  • ''Hemipristis''
  • ''Paragaleus''
  • References

The weasel sharks are a family, the Hemigaleidae, of ground sharks found from the eastern Atlantic Ocean to the continental Indo-Pacific. They are found in shallow coastal waters to a depth of .

Most species are small, reaching no more than long, though the snaggletooth shark (Hemipristis elongatus) may reach . They have horizontally oval eyes, small spiracles, and precaudal pits. Two dorsal fins occur with the base of the first placed well forward of the pelvic fins. The caudal fin has a strong ventral lobe and undulations on the dorsal lobe margin. They feed on a variety of small bony fishes and invertebrates; at least two species specialize on cephalopods. They are not known to have attacked people.

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