Biodiversity & Conservation

Angel Shark - Squatina squatina

Squatina squatina

Image Paul Newland - A resting angel shark on sandy substrate Image width ca 1.5 to 2 m.
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Distribution map

Squatina squatina recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

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  • UK_BAP
  • OSPAR
Taxonomy icon Taxonomy Taxon English term
Phylum Chordata Sea squirts, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals
Class Elasmobranchii Sharks, rays and skates
Authority (Linnaeus, 1758)
Recent synonyms None
Map icon Recorded Distribution in Britain and Ireland Expected distribution all around the offshore coast of Ireland and Britain as far north as the Shetland Isles and as far south as southern Ireland.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Found on the continental shelves from close inshore to at least 150 m depth. During day time, found almost buried in a mud or sandy bottom often with hardly more than its eyes protruding. Will often be seen swimming off the bottom at night time.
Text page icon Description With its flat body, broad trunk and large, very high pectoral fins, Squatina squatina resembles a large ray more than a shark. Its skin is grey to reddish or greenish-brown and is scattered with small white spots and blackish dots. The dorsal fins have a dark leading edge and a pale trailing edge. Whisker-like nasal barbels project from near the nostrils. The monkfish, or angelfish as it is sometimes known, has large, round eyes with vertical slit pupils. It can grow up to 1.8 m in length and 80 kg in weight.
Identifying features
  • Flat, ray-like body, broad trunk and large, high pectoral fins.
  • Grey to reddish or greenish-brown with white spots and blackish dots.
  • Up to 1.8 m in length.
  • Nasal barbels and large round eyes.
  • No ocelli on body.
Additional information icon Additional information Young angel sharks may also have white net-like markings and large, dark blotches, whilst adults are plainer (Compagno, 1984).

This review can be cited as follows:

Morvan Barnes 2008. Squatina squatina. Angel Shark. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 04/02/2012]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=4376>