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Angel sharks

Atlantic angelshark

Squatina dumeril

A flattened bottom-dwelling shark shaped more like a ray, built to hide in sediment and ambush passing prey.

Bottom-dwellingBurrowingDeep water
View recent sightings
Natural-history painting: Atlantic angelshark
0 observationsin our coverage data · past 365 days
Typical sizeAbout 3–4 ft
MaximumAbout 5 ft
Family size comparisonAbout 5 ft maximum
Dad, Daughter, Son & Mom
Family of fourAtlantic angelshark · About 5 ft

Every figure uses the same scale. The shark image is shown at the species’ published maximum length; individual animals vary.

Habitat

Buried in sand or mud on the continental shelf and slope.

Geographic range

Atlantic coast of North America from Massachusetts through Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, plus parts of the Caribbean.

Depth

About 131–820 ft in the north; deeper in southern waters

Diet

Bottom-dwelling fish, mollusks, crustaceans, skates, and small rays.

How to recognize it

Flattened body, broad wing-like pectoral fins, eyes and spiracles on top, and two small dorsal fins near the tail.

Reproduction

Live-bearing after eggs hatch inside the mother; litters commonly contain around 16 pups.

Species facts

Did you know?

01

It can disappear beneath sand or mud while waiting to ambush prey.

02

Angelsharks are true sharks even though their flattened bodies resemble rays.

Awareness, not a live shark tracker.An observation is a report from a past time and place—not a prediction of where an animal is now. Species facts do not establish the size, age, behavior, or current location of the observed animal.