📸 PhotoPhoto: Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Expedition 2003 · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons Source
Shortspine spurdog
Squalus mitsukurii (Shortspine spurdog · フトツノザメ)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its maximum body length of about 94 cm is similar to the length of an umbrella (about 90 cm) (Comparison).
- 💡 A body length of about 94 cm is slightly over half the height of an adult human (about 1.7 m) (Comparison).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
The shortspine spurdog is a small shark widely distributed in temperate and subtropical seas, including the waters off Korea, Japan, and China. FishBase notes that it may represent a species complex, and it is assessed as Endangered (EN, 2020) on the IUCN Red List.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
It is a small shark with females growing up to 94.3 cm and males or unsexed individuals up to 89.8 cm. Newborn pups measure 22–26 cm.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It feeds on bony fish such as cods, conger eels, and lanternfishes, as well as squid and crustaceans. It is ovoviviparous, giving birth to 4–9 pups per litter after a gestation period that can last up to 2 years.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
FishBase distribution records include Japan, Korea, and China in the western Pacific, and it is also listed on the National List of Species of Korea as "Dombalsangeo" (Korean name).
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List EN (2020) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/152781967/2957982
- • IUCN Red List category EN — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • catalogueoflife.org — 6ZFNC
- • iucnredlist.org — 2957982
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000057326 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000057326
- • wikidata.org — Q2314437
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Squalus mitsukurii.jpg
- • fishbase.se — Squalus-mitsukurii.html
- • species.nibr.go.kr — mainHome.do
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Ignacio Contreras · CC BY 3.0 (Congeneric silhouette — Squalus acanthias)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.