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Hound sharks

Dusky smooth-hound

Mustelus canis

A small, slender coastal shark with pavement-like teeth adapted for crushing hard-shelled prey.

CoastalBottom-dwellingSeasonal
View recent sightings
Natural-history painting: Dusky smooth-hound
16 observationsin our coverage data · past 365 days
Typical sizeAbout 4 ft
MaximumAbout 5 ft
Family size comparisonAbout 5 ft maximum
Dad, Daughter, Son & Mom
Family of fourDusky smooth-hound · About 5 ft

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

Habitat

Coastal waters over sandy and muddy bottoms, often moving seasonally between inshore and deeper water.

Geographic range

Western Atlantic, including the U.S. East Coast and parts of the Gulf of Mexico.

Depth

Coastal bottom waters

Diet

Crabs, lobsters, shrimp, worms, small fish, and other bottom-dwelling animals.

How to recognize it

Slender gray body, cat-like eyes, two spineless dorsal fins, and flat grinding teeth.

Reproduction

Gives birth to live young after embryos develop inside the mother.

Species facts

Did you know?

01

Its flat teeth work more like crushing plates than cutting blades.

02

It is also widely called the smooth dogfish.

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.