Identification
A slim, small shark, usually around 60 cm and exceptionally reaching a metre. The back is sandy to light brown and densely covered with many small dark spots that continue onto the fins, over a creamy-white belly. The skin is noticeably rough — like sandpaper — from its fine dermal denticles. Look for the two broad nasal flaps forming a curtain down to the upper lip, and for both small dorsal fins being set unusually far back along the body. The eyes are small and dark.
Behaviour & ecology
A bottom-dwelling species of sand, gravel and mud, usually between ten and a hundred metres, occasionally far deeper. It often lies motionless on the seabed by day, frequently curled, and hunts crabs, shrimp, worms, squid and small fish at night. It lays egg cases — the tough, horny purses with long tendrils that sometimes wash up on the beach. Those tendrils anchor to weed or a wreck, where the embryo develops for five to eleven months, depending on water temperature.
In the Netherlands
This is by far the most common shark in the Dutch North Sea, found along the entire coast and into the Oosterschelde and Voordelta. Precisely because it is common, sea anglers hook it regularly as bycatch. Unlike most sharks here the species is not threatened. VisScanner still marks it for release: sharks and rays grow slowly, mature late and produce few young, and Sportvisserij Nederland is working toward a release obligation for all North Sea sharks and rays. Hold it horizontally, support the body, keep clear of the gills and return it quickly — the rough skin can graze you, but the fish itself is harmless.
