Daily Shark Fact - 4/5/2025
Today's shark is the angelshark!
The basics: also sometimes called "monkfish" (though they're not related to the bony fish who share the nickname), angelsharks (Squatina squatina) are ambush predators who camouflage themselves on the sea floor and wait for prey to pass by. Like all angelsharks, they have a wide, flattened body, making them look a bit similar to rays instead of other sharks! Angelsharks prefer to lay motionless in wait on the seabed, where they bury themselves down into the soft sandy floor to hide.
Conservation status: critically endangered. Angelsharks were once common, but their populations have suffered greatly as a result of bycatch from commercial fisheries, as they're often in the crossfire of bottom-trawling nets and lines thanks to their preferred habitat near the shore. They are locally extinct in many areas where they were once common.
Today's fun fact: though angelsharks were once thought to be exclusively ambush predators, they've been noted to become much more active at night, occasionally seen swimming around above the sea floor! This indicates they may be more opportunistic than once thought and adopt active hunting strategies when they're in the mood.