Species page
knifetooth dogfish
Shark species in Somniosidae.
Scymnodon ringens
Overview
Sleeper sharks are cold-water and deepwater specialists with a deliberate pace and a subdued profile. In PocketShark, that usually means a soft-bodied shark of the slope or polar sea rather than a fast coastal hunter. Typical features include a soft-looking body, small dorsal fins set far back, no anal fin, and a generally subdued gray to brown coloration. Sleeper sharks occur in cold-temperate, polar, and deep offshore waters around the world. Some species are strongly Arctic or subarctic, while others occupy deep temperate slopes.
They are associated with cold deep basins, continental slopes, fjords, and high-latitude shelf waters.
Added from the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS).
Why it matters: The family includes some of the most cold-adapted sharks on Earth.
Common nameknifetooth dogfish
Scientific nameScymnodon ringens
FamilySomniosidae
OrderSqualiformes
Max length1.1 m
Depth range0 to 0 meters
RegionNorth Atlantic Ocean, European waters, New Zealand
DietData not available in this offline release.
HabitatMarine waters (habitat data not available locally).
Why it stands outFamily: Somniosidae
What this shark is
Typical features include a soft-looking body, small dorsal fins set far back, no anal fin, and a generally subdued gray to brown coloration.
Where it lives
Sleeper sharks occur in cold-temperate, polar, and deep offshore waters around the world. Some species are strongly Arctic or subarctic, while others occupy deep temperate slopes.
They are associated with cold deep basins, continental slopes, fjords, and high-latitude shelf waters.
How it differs from similar sharks
Family: Somniosidae
Compare it against Scymnodon Macracanthus, γ€γγγ©γγγ¦γγΆγ‘, and Azores dogfish.
Why it is notable
Most species live too deep or too cold to interact much with people. Fisheries bycatch and the pace of their life history are the bigger concerns.
Species-level taxonomy was verified from Sharkipedia's current species list and taxonomy workbook. In this pass, the narrative fields are cautious family-level placeholders synthesized from broad shark references, chiefly the FAO Sharks of the World catalogue, because a stronger multi-source species-level synthesis was not assembled here without risking invented detail. Replace this with a direct species-level synthesis before publication in the app.
Related shark pages
These links are meant to help readers continue through related species, not force extra clicks.
Scymnodon Macracanthus
Shark species in Somniosidae.
1.7 m max
γ€γγγ©γγγ¦γγΆγ‘
Shark species in Somniosidae.
Azores dogfish
Shark species in Somniosidae.
Greenland shark
Shark species in Somniosidae.
7.3 m max