Gulper shark

Gulper shark
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)Europe and Mediterranean population assessments
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Subdivision:	Selachimorpha
Order:	Squaliformes
Family:	Centrophoridae
Genus:	Centrophorus
Species:	C. granulosus
Binomial name
Centrophorus granulosus (Bloch & J. G. Schneider,1801)
Range of gulper shark (in blue)
Synonyms
Centrophorus acus Garman, 1906 Centrophorus niaukang Teng, 1959

The gulper shark (Centrophorus granulosus) is a long and slender dogfish usually about three feet in length generally found in deep, murky waters all around the world. It is a light grayish brown, paler ventrally, with a long snout and large greenish eyes.^[2] This deep water shark has two dorsal fins with long, grooved spines and the second dorsal fin smaller than the first. Its upper teeth are blade-like and lower have finely serrated edges.^[2] This tertiary consumer feeds on mainly fish such as bony fish, but also cephalopods such as squid and other invertebrates like crustaceans.^[2] The gulper shark is currently an endangered species mainly because of exploitation by humans and their abnormally long gestation period and low fecundity, preventing their population from recovering. Because of the depth of their habitat, they are considered little to no threat to humans.^[3]