Species: Mustelus canis, Dusky Smoothhound Shark, Smooth Dogfish, Smooth Dogfish Shark
snout short

teeth low, flat
Mustelus canis (Mitchill, 1815)
Smooth Dogfish, Dusky Smooth-hound Shark, Smooth Dogfish Shark
Elongate and slender, relatively flat on ventral surface; a low pointed skin ridge on midline of back; head flattened on top; snout relatively short (5-5.8% of TL); eyes oval, moderately large (2.2-2.4% of TL), close together, with longitudinal nictitating eyelid; spiracles small but prominent; space between nostrils broad, 2.7-3.6% of TL; mouth relatively broad, 4.7-6.8% of TL; labial furrows longer on upper jaw longer than lower, 1.6-2.7% of TL; teeth small, oval, low, in several rows in a mosaic or pavement pattern, cutting edges bluntly rounded; 5 gill slits, last two over pectoral fin; two dorsal fins, both with tips rounded, and deeply concave rear margins and acute rear corners, first dorsal higher than second, origin over back of pectoral base; anal fin origin under mid-point of second dorsal; pectoral fins broad; tail fin low, blunt tip, top lobe with a well developed sub-terminal notch, ventral lobe small, rounded; dermal denticles on flank elongate, single point.
Back olive or slaty grey, variable with substrate; belly yellowish or whitish grey; posterior margin of first dorsal fin whitish in young.
Size: 152 cm.
Habitat: dwells on bottom in coastal waters, generally on muddy bottoms.
Depth: 7-808 m.
Canada to Uruguay.
Note: Two subspecies are recognized, M. c. canis from the continental shore and M. c. insularis from the Greater and Lesser Antilles.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Brackish
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Bottom + water column
- Near Bottom
- Habitat
-
- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Soft bottom only
- Water column
- Estuary
- Mud
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
-
- Data
- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Mobile benthic worms
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Egg Type
-
- Data
- Live birth
- No pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
-
- All species
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
-
- Also in Brazil
- Continent
- Continent + Island (s)
- Extends N + S of GC
- Extends North of GC
- Extends South of GC
- GC non-endemic
- Island (s)
- All species
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
-
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Temperate (>35N)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
-
- Listed
- Near threatened
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Length Max
-
- 152
- Depth Range Min
-
- 7
- Depth Range Max
-
- 808