Article
Article
Squatiniformes
Article By:
Boschung, Herbert T. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Last reviewed:June 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.803480
An order of bizarre sharks, commonly known as angel sharks, comprising one family, one genus (Squatina), and 15 species that superficially resemble rays (see illustration). The following combination of characters identify the angel sharks: body flattened dorsoventrally; pectoral fins winglike and spread forward alongside head but not attached to it; mouth almost terminal; nostrils terminal, with barbels on anterior margin; eyes and large spiracles on top of head; five gill slits partly on sides of head and partly on ventral surface; two small spineless dorsal fins on tail; anal fin absent; and lower lobe of caudal fin longer than upper lobe. Maximum lengths of three species vary from 63 to 89 cm (25 to 35 in.), and 12 species vary from 120 to 200 cm (47 to 79 in.).
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