Atlantic sixgill shark

Scientific name

Hexanchus vitulus

Family

Hexanchidae

Size

Up to 1.8 meters (6 feet)

Lifespan

Unknown

About Atlantic sixgill sharks

Like the other sixgill sharks, the Atlantic sixgill shark is a deepwater species that inhabits waters deeper than 100 meters. Sixgill sharks are unusual in that they, as you may have guessed, have six gill openings and also because they have only one dorsal fin – most sharks have five gill openings and two dorsal fins. Because of its depth preference and recent reclassification, little is known about the biology or behavior of the Atlantic sixgill shark, but it appears that the juveniles occur in shallower waters than the adults.

Until 2019, it was thought that there were only two species of sixgill sharks in the world: the bluntnose sixgill shark, which can grow to be more than 5.5 meters long, and the bigeye sixgill shark, which only grows to about 1.8 meters. Genetic evidence was used to determine that actually, there are three species of sixgill sharks in the world, and that the bigeye sixgill sharks found in the Atlantic Ocean are actually a separate species: the Atlantic sixgill shark, Hexanchus vitulus.

Diet

No diet studies have been done for this species, but it likely eats small fishes, cephalopods (squid and octopus), and crustaceans.

Distribution

Deep waters 70-700 meters throughout the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean, possibly throughout the western Atlantic Ocean.

More Species To Explore

Explore additional profiles to learn more about these incredible creatures and their habitats.