10 interesting facts about Spiny Dogfish
- Spiny dogfish are found in depths of 3000 feet (900 m) below the surface.
- Spiny dogfish is the world’s most abundant shark and is the predominant shark species in Alaska.
- Spiny dogfish, also known as rock shark, rock cod, rock salmon, spurdog, mud shark and piked dogfish, is one of the best-known dogfish.
- This shark forms the food of many people in Europe, the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Chile.
- They are found worldwide in temperate and sub-arctic waters, and in the temperate and sub-arctic latitudes of the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. They are found off Chile and from central Baja California to Alaska to Japan.
- The shark can live for over 100 years.
- The pups produced by these sharks are between 8 to 12 inches.
- The age and length of a spiny dogfish, at maturity, differs greatly with region. The age of maturity of a female spiny dogfish in the northeast Pacific Ocean ranges from 20 years and 3 feet to 35.5 years and 3.1 feet.
- The female spiny dogfish are longer than their male counterparts are.
- Spiny dogfish are ovoviviparous i.e., females produce eggs that hatch within their body, and bear live young.
