Species: Deania calceus, Birdbeak Dogfish, Birdbeak Dogfish Shark

Deania calceus (Lowe, 1839)

Birdbeak Dogfish, Birdbeak Dogfish Shark

Body slender; snout extremely long, broad, flat, like a spatula, length before mouth >1/2 head length; no nictitating eyelids; eyes huge, green to yellow; spiracles present, large, just behind eye; lip furrows long; upper & teeth blade-like, without secondary cusplets; upper teeth with erect, triangular cusps, narrower bases; lower teeth much larger than upper teeth, overlapping, broad bases, oblique cusps; tooth rows: 25-35 upper, 27-33 lower; five gill slits, all before pectoral fin; two dorsal fins with large grooved spines, 2nd fin spine much larger; 1st dorsal extremely long based, low, origin over bases of pectorals, distance from origin of spine to free rear tip >> free rear tip to 2nd dorsal spine; 2nd dorsal higher & shorter than 1st; pectoral free rear tips narrow, angular to round, not elongated; no anal fin; tail base without a keel along lower edge;; tail fin strongly asymmetrical, upper lobe with strong notch under tip; skin surface very rough, skin denticles large, ~erect, narrow star-shaped bases, tips on a long stalk, like 3-pointed pitchforks; denticles on flank moderately large, crown length ~0.5 mm; no keel on lower edge of tail base.

Uniform light to dark grey or grey-brown; fins darker; small fish with rear of dorsal fins blackish.

Reaches 122 cm

On and over the bottom in deep water

Depth range 70-1470 m, most common at 600-1000 m

All 3 oceans; both sides of the Atlantic; Virginia to Colombia.