Spiny Dogfish Shark Anatomy
Darby Gabbert
Spiny Dogfish Shark Body
Labeled Anatomy
The picture below shows body parts labeled in a spiny dogfish shark.
- A = first dorsal fin
- B= second dorsal fin
- C= Caudal Fin
- D= Pelvic Fin
- E = Gill slits
- F = Snout
- G = Claspers
- H= Pectoral Fin
- I= Lateral Line
Organs
These organs are important to a shark's anatomy.
- The gallbladder is green and located on the right edge of the shark's third lobe.
- A spiny dogfish shark's heart is part of the pericardial cavity. The sinus venosis carries blood to it.
- Kidneys are flat structures that look like dark colored ribbons and are dorsal on the midline's sides. They are the same in both genders, but do not work in females and is important to the reproductive system in males.
- A liver in a spiny dogfish shark is the body cavity's largest organ and has a plentiful amount of oil storing the shark's energy.
- As a part of the duodenum and lower stomach, the pancreas has secretions, from the pancreatic duct, entering the duodenum.
- The small intestine is made up of the duodenum and valvular intestine.
- The large intestine is a narrow structure at the posterior end of the body cavity. It continues the valvular intestine.
- The stomach is a "J" shaped structure that leads into the esophagus and the cardiac region is the main body running to the duodenal end.
- The esophagus looks like a thick muscular tube. It extends from the top of one of the cavities and the pharynx.
- The rectum leads into the colon. It looks like a slender finger that is blind ended.
- Claspers only appear in males for copulation. They are located on the inner side of the pelvic fins.
- The lateral lines are a series of tiny pores. They lead to receptors sensitive to mechanical water movement and pressure that changes suddenly.
- GIlls are five external slits in most sharks that take in water. They are found on sides behind the mouth and in front of pectoral fins.
Basic Spiny Dogfish Shark Information
Classification
Spiny dogfish sharks are classified in the classification system (KPCOFGS) like this:
- Kingdom = Animalia
- Phylum = Chordata
- Class = Chondricthyes
- Order = Squaliformes
- Family = Squalidae
- Genus = Squalus
- Species = acanthias
Life Span
The life span for a spiny dogfish shark is 25-100 years.
Habitat
Spiny dogfish sharks can be found in these places:
- North Atlantic Oceans temperate and subarctic latitudes
- North Pacific Oceans temperate and subarctic latitudes
- Black Sea
- Mediterranean Sea