Ascension : Sixgill Shark
Submitted by The Islander (Nathan Prince) 28.02.2008 (Article Archived on 13.03.2008)
On Thursday, 21st February, a sixgill shark (Hexanchus griseus) weighing over 500 kgs was caught by Mr Wolfram Ludovic on board the “Shannon Rae” skippered by Sam Arms.
Hexanchus griseus (commonly known as the Bluntnose sixgill shark or Cow shark) is a heavily-bodied, broad-headed sixgill shark, mouth ventral with 6 rows of lower, bladelike, comb-shaped teeth on each side.
Its snout is broadly rounded and its body fusiform
(tapering at both ends like a spindle.)
The sixgill shark is usually a deep water species, moving closer to the surface at night to feed.
They are ovoviviparous (reproduces by eggs developed inside the body), with 22 to 108 pups in a litter. Although the sixgill sharks are circumglobal they are normally found in the Eastern Atlantic, preferring the tropical and more temperate seas.
The Sixgill is a solitary, large and powerful animal. It is interesting to note that no attacks on humans have been attributed to Sixgills.
The liver is reported as poisonous to eat.
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