Home · Triakidae · Gray mouth dog
Gray mouth dog (Mustelus mustelus) — Triakidae

Gray mouth dog

Mustelus mustelus
Family: Triakidae
EN · Endangered

The Gray mouth dog (Mustelus mustelus) is a saltwater fish of the family Triakidae that grows up to 200 cm.

Length
200 cm
Water
Saltwater
Depth
5.0–624.0 m
Diet
Carnivore
Behaviour
Small groups
Body shape
Elongated (eel-like)
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom
Danger
Harmless
Edibility
Commonly eaten

Description

The common smooth-hound is a slender coastal shark of the family Triakidae reaching about 200 cm. The body is uniformly grey to greyish-brown with a white belly, sometimes with a few black spots. Unlike many sharks it lacks sharp cutting teeth, instead having rounded, pavement-like molars used to crush crustaceans. The smooth-hound lives on the continental shelf of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, usually between 5 and 50 m, feeding mainly on crustaceans supplemented with cephalopods and fish. It is viviparous with a yolk-sac placenta. Because of heavy fishing pressure the species is assessed as Endangered.

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Gray mouth dog?

The Gray mouth dog has an elongate, eel-like body, is mainly silver-grey and shows a plain pattern.

Where does the Gray mouth dog live?

The Gray mouth dog lives in the sea (marine waters) and is mostly found around sand or mud bottom.

How big does the Gray mouth dog get?

The Gray mouth dog grows to a maximum of about 200 cm. On average the species is around 100 cm.

Is the Gray mouth dog dangerous to humans?

No, the Gray mouth dog is harmless to humans.

Is the Gray mouth dog edible?

Yes, the Gray mouth dog is commonly eaten.

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All data

Identification

Dutch name
Gladde haai verified
English name
Gray mouth dog verified
Scientific name
Mustelus mustelus
Family
Triakidae
Other names
Houndshark; Smooth dogfish; Smooth hound; Smoothhound verified

Appearance

Size class
Extra large verified
Max length (cm)
200.0 verified
Average length (cm)
100.0 verified
Body shape
Elongated (eel-like) sourced
Dominant colour
Silver / grey sourced
Pattern
Plain sourced
Tail shape
Crescent (lunate) sourced
Mouth position
Inferior (downward) inferred
Lips
Thin inferred
Barbels
No verified
Dorsal fins
Two separate sourced
Dorsal spines
No verified

Habitat & distribution

Water type
Saltwater sourced
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom sourced
Min depth (m)
5.0 verified
Max depth (m)
624.0 verified
Origin
Native verified

Behaviour & biology

Diet
Carnivore verified
Social behaviour
Small groups verified
Territorial
No verified
Reproduction
Separate sexes verified
Sexual dimorphism
No verified
levensduur_max_jaar
24.0 verified

For anglers

Edibility
Commonly eaten verified
Fishing method
Bodemvissen met natuurlijk aas (worm, garnaal of vis) op of vlak boven de bodem. inferred
Regulations source
FishBase ↗ inferred

Safety

Danger to humans
Harmless sourced

Status & sources

Sources
FishBase via GBIF (DwC-A), CC-BY-NC 4.0

Same genus Mustelus

More from the family Triakidae

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