Catsharks

Chain catshark

Scyliorhinus retifer

A small bottom-dwelling shark patterned with dark chain-like lines.

Deep waterBottom-dwellingEgg-laying

View recent sightings

0 observationsin our coverage data · past 365 days

Typical sizeAbout 1–1.5 ft

MaximumAbout 1.5 ft

Family size comparisonAbout 1.5 ft maximum

Dad, Daughter, Son & Mom

Family of fourChain catshark · About 1.5 ft

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

Habitat

Rocky and structured bottom habitat on the outer continental shelf and upper slope.

Geographic range

Western North Atlantic, especially the continental shelf and slope off the U.S. East Coast.

Depth

Usually deeper shelf and slope water

Diet

Squid, small fish, crustaceans, and worms.

How to recognize it

Slender body, large oval eyes, rounded snout, and a dark chain-link pattern over a yellow-brown background.

Reproduction

Egg-laying; females attach paired egg cases to bottom structures.

Species facts

Did you know?

Chain catsharks can glow through biofluorescence under blue light.

Their patterned egg cases anchor to seafloor structures while embryos develop.

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.