Atlantic Angel Shark

At a glance

Atlantic Angel Shark (Squatina dumeril) is an IUCN Least Concern invertebrate regulated in 3 of 66 jurisdictions tracked by CatchRules across the U.S. and Canada.

Confirmed by 20 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with North Carolina, New Jersey, and Delaware the top jurisdictions by observation count.

Listed under MSA — verify protected-species rules with the issuing agency before retaining or handling.

Notable details

• Its flattened body lets it bury in sand and ambush passing fish from below.
• Adults reach about 5 feet in length and are found from nearshore to over 400 feet deep.
• Found from New England south through the Gulf of Mexico and into the Caribbean.
• The IUCN lists it as critically endangered, largely due to bycatch from bottom trawls.
• Despite its ray-like appearance, it is a true shark with lateral gill slits.

Where Atlantic Angel Shark are seen

• North Carolina16 iNat obs
• New Jersey2 iNat obs
• Delaware1 iNat obs
• Maryland1 iNat obs

Jurisdictions with rules for Atlantic Angel Shark

• New JerseyUnited States · official source

Protected status

• Atlantic HMS prohibited — must release unharmed.

Always verify protected-species rules with the issuing agency before retaining or handling.

Background

The sand devil or Atlantic angel shark (Squatina dumeril) is a species of angelshark, family Squatinidae, native to the northwestern Atlantic Ocean. It occurs off the eastern United States, in the northern Gulf of Mexico, and possibly in parts of the Caribbean Sea. This bottom-dwelling shark is found in shallow inshore waters in summer and fall, and deep offshore waters in winter and spring. The…

Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Atlantic Angel Shark article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.