South Africa country information

Common names: Broadnose sevengill shark, Platneus-sewekiefhaai
Occurrence: native
Salinity: marine
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: subsistence fisheries | Ref: van der Elst, R., 1993
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: gamefish: yes;
Comments: Ranges from the west coast to East London. Of significance only to sport anglers during winter tournaments held around the Cape coast (Ref. 12484). Angling record: 95 kg (Ref. 12484). Also Ref. 247, 6574, 75154.
National Checklist:
Country Information: httpss://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/sf.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Compagno, L.J.V., D.A. Ebert and M.J. Smale, 1989
National Database:

Classification / Names

Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Hexanchiformes (Frill and cow sharks) > Hexanchidae (Cow sharks)
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Common names from other countries

Platnez, Cañabota gata, Broadsnouted sevengill shark, ... more

Main reference

Compagno, L.J.V. 1984. (Ref. 247)
References | Biblio | Coordinator : Compagno, Leonard J.V. | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 300 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5578); common length : 150 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 6077); max. published weight: 107.0 kg (Ref. 9987); max. reported age: 49 years (Ref. 27952)

Length at first maturity
L_m ?, range 192 - 208 cm

Environment

Marine; brackish; demersal; depth range 0 - 570 m (Ref. 26346), usually ? - 80 m (Ref. 5578)

Climate / Range

Subtropical, preferred 17°C (Ref. 107945); 56°N - 55°S, 131°W - 177°E (Ref. 54680)

Distribution

Circumglobal: In tropical to temperate waters; except North Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. Southwest Atlantic: southern Brazil to northern Argentina. Southeast Atlantic: Namibia to East London, South Africa (Ref. 5578). Western Pacific: southern Japan to New Zealand. Eastern Pacific: British Columbia, Canada to Chile. Record from India maybe erroneous.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 0; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 0; Vertebrae: 123 - 157. A large seven-gilled cowshark (Ref. 5578) with a wide head, short and blunt snout, and fusiform body. Dorsal fin small, origin may vary from over insertion of pelvic fins to over free rear tips of pelvic fins. Anal fin smaller than dorsal fin. Tooth count 15-16/13. Reddish-brown to silvery-grey or olive-brown with numerous small black spots on body and fins; cream below (Ref. 5578).

Found on the continental shelf, often in shallow water (Ref. 247). Occurs close inshore, in bays and estuaries (Ref. 6871), with larger individuals ranging into deeper waters offshore and deep channels in bays (Ref. 247). Usually cruising steadily and slowly near the bottom (sometimes in water as shallow as a meter), but sometimes at the surface (Ref. 247). Can dash at speed when attacking prey (Ref. 247). Feeds on anything, including other sharks, rays, chimaeras, bony fish, hagfish, dolphin and porpoise meat, seals, shark egg cases, sea snails and mammalian carrion, including rats and humans (Ref. 5578). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 50449), with 82 to 95 young in a litter (Ref. 31395). Aggressive when provoked, and regarded as potentially dangerous to people in open waters (Ref. 247). It has attacked divers in captivity and may be involved in a few shark attacks off California and South Africa (Ref. 247). Often caught by anglers from the shore (Ref. 6574). Utilized for human consumption, its skin for leather, and its liver as a source of oil (Ref. 247).

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Data deficient (DD)

Threat to humans

Traumatogenic (Ref. 247)

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: public aquariums

More information

Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
Stocks
Ecology
Diet
Food items
Food consumption
Ration

Common names
Synonyms
Metabolism
Predators
Ecotoxicology
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development

Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Recruitment
Abundance

References
Aquaculture
Aquaculture profile
Strains
Genetics
Allele frequencies
Heritability
Diseases
Processing
Mass conversion

Collaborators
Pictures
Stamps, Coins
Sounds
Ciguatera
Speed
Swim. type
Gill area
Otoliths
Brains
Vision

Tools

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)
PD₅₀ = 1.0781 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278)
4.7 ±0.2 se; Based on diet studies.

Resilience (Ref. 69278)
Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (rm=0.026; K=0.25; tm=16; tmax=32; Fec=82-95)

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)
High vulnerability (57 of 100)

Price category (Ref. 80766)
Low

Notorynchus cepedianus (Péron, 1807)