Mexican Horn Shark

About the Mexican Horn Shark

The Mexican hornshark (Heterodontus mexicanus) is a bullhead shark of the family Heterodontidae. This shark is grey-brown in color, with black spots scattered on the fins and body. It has a cylindrical trunk, conical head, and small spiracles behind the eyes. The snout of the Mexican hornshark is very round and blunt. Like all members of the order Heterodontiformes, this shark has fin spines in front of both of its dorsal fins. The first dorsal fin originates before the pectoral fins, while the second dorsal fin originates behind the pelvic fins. The Mexican hornshark reaches a maximum length around 70 cm, but usually reaches between 50 and 60 cm on average. Young hornsharks hatch around 14 cm.

Mexican hornsharks are widely distributed throughout the coast of the Eastern Pacific, mainly around southern Baja California, and possibly as far south as Peru. The rocky bottoms, coral reefs, and sandy areas of the littoral zone create the habitat of this hornshark. The Mexican hornshark can be found at a maximum depth of around 50 m, but is usually found down to 20 m.

Like all members of the order Heterodontiformes, the Mexican hornshark is oviparous... Wikipedia →