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Elasmobranchii 板鳃亚纲 (鲨鱼与 鱼) (sharks and rays) > Squaliformes (Sleeper and dogfish sharks) > Somniosidae (Sleeper sharks)
Etymology: Somniosus:Latin for sleepy, reflecting Lesueur’s surmise that these sharks are slow or sluggish because of their relatively small fins (hence the name sleeper sharks) (See ETYFish); microcephalus:micro-, from mikros (Gr.), small; cephalus, from kephale (Gr.), head, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its short, rounded snout compared with other sharks then included in the catch-all genus Squalus (See ETYFish). More on authors: Bloch & Schneider.
North Atlantic from the USA and Canada to Greenland in the west and from Portugal to the Barents Sea and Eastern Siberian Sea.
Genetic analyses caution that the geographic range of this species may be much narrower, ranging from Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Islands, and Norway, with occasional records from Cuba, France and Spain (Canary Is.) (Yano et al. 2007, MacNeil et al. 2012, Walter et al. 2017, Simpson et al. 2018).
Records from the western Atlantic, including records from the northern Gulf of Mexico and Canadian side off the Davis Strait exhibit evidence of introgressive hybridisation with Pacific Sleeper Shark (Somniosus pacificus) which has been recorded as far north as the Azores Islands (Portugal) (Walter et al. 2017). 北大西洋與北極圈: 科德角與緬因灣，聖勞倫斯灣到 Ellesmere 島，格陵蘭，冰島， Spitzbergen ，白海與挪威到北海, 有時南至塞納河河口，法國與也許葡萄牙。 大西洋南方部與南極海: 南非， Kerguelen 與 Macquarie 島。
首次成熟时的长度 / 大小 / 重量 / 年龄
成熟度: Lm335.5, range 244 - 427 cm Max length : 427 cm TL 雄鱼/尚未辨别雌雄; (Ref. 247); 550.0 cm TL (female); 最大体重: 0.00 g; 最大年龄: 392 年 (Ref. 110949)
背棘 (总数) : 0; 臀棘: 0; 脊椎骨: 41 - 44. A gigantic, heavily-bodied dogfish shark with a moderately long, rounded snout and small, low dorsal fins; lower caudal lobe long; upper jaw with small single-cusped teeth and lower jaw with moderate-sized, bent-cusped, slicing teeth (Ref. 5578). Medium grey or brown in color, sometimes with transverse dark bands or small light spots (Ref. 5578). Body shape (shape guide): elongated. 一个巨人般又身体很重的狗鲨具有一个中等长度的, 圆形的吻与小又低的背鳍; 下尾部的叶长的; 上颌有小的单一尖牙而且下颌有被弯曲的中等大小的-尖头, 薄片的齿.(参考文献 5578) 中等的灰色或褐色颜色, 有时有横跨的深色条纹或小的淡色斑点.(参考文献 5578)
Found on continental and insular shelves and upper slopes down to at least 1,200 m (Ref. 247) and to as deep as 2,200 m (Ref. 55584). Epibenthic-pelagic (Ref. 58426). In the Arctic and boreal Atlantic, it occurs inshore in the intertidal and at the surface in shallow bays and river mouths during colder months, retreating to depths of 180-550 m when the temperature rises (Ref. 247). Reported to be found in temperatures from -1.8° to 17.2°C but commonly below 5°C with salinity range of 29.4-35.5. It can undertake long migrations (Ref. 119696). Feeds on pelagic and bottom fishes (herring, Atlantic salmon, Arctic char, capelin, redfish, sculpins, lumpfish, cod, haddock, Atlantic halibut, Greenland halibut and skates (Ref. 5951), sharks and skates (Ref. 5578), seals and small cetaceans, sea birds, squids, crabs, amphipods, marine snails, brittle stars, sea urchins, and jellyfish (Ref. 247, 58240). Radiocarbon dating of eye lens nuclei from 28 caught female Greenland sharks (81-502 cm TL) revealed a life span of at least 272 years, the oldest being nearly 400 years; age of sexual maturity is about 150 years. This large species is slow-growing (Ref. 110949).
Petromyzon marinus was reported to have been attached to S. microcephalus (Ref. 58185). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 205). Utilized fresh and dried for human and sled-dog food (flesh is said to be toxic when fresh); Inuit also used the skin to make boots, and the sharp lower dental bands as knives for cutting hair (Ref. 247). A very sluggish shark (Ref. 28609). Reports in literature of lengths exceeding 640 cm TL (e.g. up to 730 cm TL in Ref. 247) remain unverified. Common length 244-427 cm TL (Ref. 119696).
Yano, K., J.D. Stevens and L.J.V. Compagno, 2004. A review of the systematics of the sleeper shark genus Somniosus with redescriptions of Somniosus (Somniosus) antarcticus and Somniosus (Rhinoscymnus) longus (Squaliformes: Somniosidae). Ichthyol. Res. 51:360-373. (Ref. 50224)
世界自然保护联盟红皮书 (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2 (Global))
