Sharptooth houndshark

The sharptooth houndshark is a stout-bodied species with a short, thick, and blunt snout. The nostrils are widely spaced and preceded by lobe-like flaps of skin that do not reach the mouth. The horizontally oval eyes have ridges underneath and are equipped with nictitating membranes. The large mouth bears long, deep furrows at the corners, with those on the lower jaw almost meeting in the middle. The teeth are small and tightly packed to form pavement-like surfaces. Each tooth has a rounded, molar-like base that rises to a sharp, upright central cusp; rarely, a pair of barely developed lateral cusplets may also be present. Five pairs of gill slits are found. The fins are distinctively large and rounded at the tips. The pectoral fins of adults are broad and falcate (sickle-shaped). The dorsal fins have nearly vertical trailing margins, with the first originating over the pectoral fin rear tips. The second dorsal fin is about three-quarters as high as the first. The anal fin is much smaller than the second dorsal fin and originates well behind it. The short, thick caudal peduncle lacks notches at the caudal fin origins. The caudal fin has a small but well-defined lower lobe and a longer upper lobe with a ventral notch near the tip. The skin is often loose. This species is dark gray to bronze above and white below. Young sharks are mostly unmarked, while adults vary from plain to densely covered with irregular black spots. It may reach 1.7 m (5.6 ft) in length and 40 kg (88 lb) in weight. Females grow larger than males.