Answer:Despite the immense variety of species, these aquatic creatures generally share a similar body shape. They have elongated bodies with long tails, and their pectoral fins usually stick outward from their bodies rather than downward. While most species measure at about three feet long, they range in size from about eight inches long to over five feet long.With such a wide variety of species to choose from, you can find any number of interesting traits and adaptations. Learn more about some individual catshark species below.
The nursehound is one of the largest catshark species, with maximum lengths exceeding five feet. Their name originates from a fisherman’s tale, which depicts this species caring for its younger relatives. Despite this name, nursehounds do not offer any parental care.
Despite the unappealing name, people actually eat this species as food! They are popular in England, Germany, Italy, and France.
You can find various Cat Shark species in oceans nearly worldwide. The different species live in tropical and temperate oceans. Each species has its own unique range and distribution. Some species live across entire oceans, while others only live in a single small region.
These sharks are carnivores, which means that they eat other animals. Their diet generally depends on two primary factors, their size and their location. Smaller species usually feed on small fish, squid, crabs, and other invertebrates. Larger species can fit larger fish and other prey in their mouths.
Species living in different areas eat different prey, depending on what is abundant near them. Regardless of species, these sharks mostly eat other benthic organisms rather than traveling up the water column for food.
Human interaction varies drastically from species to species. Those with large populations and wide distributions generally do not suffer as heavily from overfishing and bycatch. However, species that live in small regions decline swiftly due to human impacts.
Some of the primary threats to these creatures include overfishing of their populations or their prey, bycatch in nets aimed at other species, pollution of their waters. In addition, climate change impacts temperatures, reducing egg viability, as well as negatively affecting their prey species.
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