Somniosus antarcticus Whitley, 1939
Southern sleeper shark
photo by Reyes, P.

Family:  Somniosidae (Sleeper sharks)
Max. size:  438 cm TL (male/unsexed); 430 cm TL (female)
Environment:  benthopelagic; marine; depth range 485 - 1150 m
Distribution:  South Indo-Pacific and South Atlantic.
Diagnosis:  Vertebrae: 36-38. Somniosus antarcticus differs from S. pacificus by the following characters: interdorsal space about 80% of prebranchial length (vs. 70%); height of first dorsal fin about 3.0% of precaudal length (PCL) (vs. 3.7%); height of second dorsal fin about 2.9% of PCL (vs. 3.4%); number of turns in spiral valve 36-41 (mode 39) (vs. 32-37, mode 33); precaudal vertebrae 30-31 (mode 30) (vs. 28-30, mode 29) (Ref. 50224).
Biology: 
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 02 July 2017 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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