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Odontaspis ferox (Risso, 1810)

Smalltooth sand tiger
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Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
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Odontaspis ferox   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Odontaspis ferox (Smalltooth sand tiger)
Odontaspis ferox
Picture by FAO

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Lamniformes (Mackerel sharks) > Odontaspididae (Sand tiger sharks)
Etymology: Odontaspis: Etymology not explained, presumably odontos (Gr.), tooth, and aspis (Gr.), shield, perhaps referring to how teeth comprise a prominent narrow cusp provided with two or more small “side teeth” (translation), i.e., cusplets, which, with some imagination, could be said to “shield” the main cusp; another explanation: aspis (L.), viper, perhaps referring to outwardly pointing teeth of O. ferox, like that of a viper. (See ETYFish);  ferox: Latin for fierce, possibly referring to what Risso described as its “La voracité extrême” and/or its toothy and ferocious countenance. (See ETYFish).
More on author: Risso.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; benthopelagic; depth range 10 - 2000 m (Ref. 26346), usually 13 - 880 m (Ref. 89422). Deep-water; 50°N - 49°S, 180°W - 180°E (Ref. 54681)

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Eastern Atlantic: Gulf of Gascony, Madeira, Morocco, Mediterranean; also Cape Verde (Ref. 27000). Western Atlantic: Yucatan Shelf, Mexico (Ref. 9939), Brazil (Ref. 53443). Indo-West Pacific: off South Africa and Maldives, Madagascar, southern Japan, Australia, and New Zealand (Ref. 13568). Expected to occur in the Western Central Pacific (Ref. 13568). Central Pacific: off Hawaii (Ref. 13568). Eastern Pacific: off southern California, USA and Baja California, Mexico (Ref. 13568).

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - 360 cm
Max length : 450 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 89422); max. published weight: 289.0 kg (Ref. 9939)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Anal spines: 0. A shark with a short, pointed snout, small eyes, protruding spike-like teeth, and small, equal-sized dorsal and anal fins; first dorsal closer to pectoral than to pelvic fins (Ref. 5578). Grey above, paler below (Ref. 6586); may have red spots on sides (Ref. 5578).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Found on or near the bottom of the continental and insular shelves and upper slopes (Ref. 6871); sometimes in shallow water (Ref. 6871). Tagging showed the species dives up to 2,000 m at Malpelo Island, Colombia (S.Bessudo, pers.comm. 06/09). Feeds on small bony fishes, squids, and crustaceans (Ref. 13568). Uses its long body cavity and large, oily liver to regulate buoyancy. Ovoviviparous, embryos feeding on yolk sac and other ova produced by the mother (Ref. 50449). Not implicated in attacks on people (Ref. 247). Flesh utilized for human consumption and liver for its high squalene content (Ref. 247); utilization of fins, jaws and cartilage (Ref.58048).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Exhibit ovoviparity (aplacental viviparity), with embryos feeding on other ova produced by the mother (oophagy) after the yolk sac is absorbed (Ref. 50449). Two young born at 105 cm or larger (Ref. 26346). Distinct pairing with embrace (Ref. 205).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Compagno, Leonard J.V. | Collaborators

Compagno, L.J.V., 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 1 - Hexanchiformes to Lamniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(4/1):1-249. Rome, FAO. (Ref. 247)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Vulnerable (VU) (A2bd); Date assessed: 14 February 2015

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless (Ref. 247)





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial
FAO - Fisheries: species profile; Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet compositions
Food consumptions
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growths
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversions
Recruitments
Abundances
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturities
Fecundities
Spawnings
Spawning aggregations
Egg(s)
Egg developments
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Distribution
Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
BRUVS - Videos
Anatomy
Gill areas
Brains
Otoliths
Physiology
Body compositions
Nutrients
Oxygen consumptions
Swimming type
Swimming speeds
Visual pigment(s)
Fish sounds
Diseases / Parasites
Toxicities (LC50s)
Genetics
Genetics
Electrophoreses
Heritabilities
Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
Outreach
Collaborators
References
References

Tools

Special reports

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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Fisheries: species profile; Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | National databases | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 12.2 - 23.9, mean 17.3 °C (based on 810 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.8125   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01122 (0.00514 - 0.02450), b=3.04 (2.87 - 3.21), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  4.2   ±0.56 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Fec assumed to be <10).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Very high vulnerability (90 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Unknown.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 2.12 [0.49, 12.27] mg/100g; Iron = 0.217 [0.051, 0.701] mg/100g; Protein = 18.4 [16.0, 20.8] %; Omega3 = 0.34 [0.14, 0.81] g/100g; Selenium = 26.9 [7.0, 81.4] μg/100g; VitaminA = 6.46 [1.47, 28.36] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.187 [0.092, 0.357] mg/100g (wet weight);