< Portal:Sharks < Selected articles
A captive nursehound in Kölner Zoo

The nursehound, large-spotted dogfish, greater spotted dogfish, or bull huss, Scyliorhinus stellaris, is a species of catshark, family Scyliorhinidae, found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. It is generally found amongst rocks or algae at a depth of 20–60 m (66–197 ft). The nursehound shares its range with the more common and closely related small-spotted catshark (S. canicula), which it resembles in appearance but can be distinguished from in having larger spots and nasal skin flaps that do not extend to the mouth. The maximum reported length of this species is 1.6 m (5.2 ft).

Nursehounds have nocturnal habits and generally hide inside small holes during the day, often associating with other members of its species. A benthic predator, it feeds on a range of bony fishes, smaller sharks, crustaceans, and cephalopods. Like other catsharks, the nursehound is oviparous in reproduction. Females deposit large, thick-walled egg cases, two at a time, from March to October, securing them to bunches of seaweed. The eggs take 712 months to hatch. Nursehounds are marketed as food in several European countries under various names, including "flake", "catfish", "rock eel", and "rock salmon". It was once also valued for its rough skin (called "rubskin"), which was used as an abrasive. The conservation status of this species has not yet been evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.