Species profile
Bigeye Sixgill Shark
Hexanchus nakamurai
At a glance
Bigeye Sixgill Shark (Hexanchus nakamurai) is an IUCN Near Threatened invertebrate regulated in 3 of 66 jurisdictions tracked by CatchRules across the U.S. and Canada.
Listed under MSA — verify protected-species rules with the issuing agency before retaining or handling.
Notable details
- Smaller than its bluntnose cousin, typically reaching about 6 feet in length.
- Named for proportionally large eyes adapted to detect prey in deep, dim water.
- Like all sixgills, it carries six gill slits instead of the five seen in most sharks.
- Found in warm, deep waters worldwide, from the Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific.
Jurisdictions with rules for Bigeye Sixgill Shark
Protected status
- Atlantic HMS prohibited — must release unharmed.
Always verify protected-species rules with the issuing agency before retaining or handling.
Background
The bigeyed sixgill shark (Hexanchus nakamurai) is a cow shark of the family Hexanchidae. Its dorsal surface has a brownish-gray color, and is sharply separated from the light coloring of its ventral surface. The eyes are a fluorescent green while the shark is alive. The body of this shark is small, slim, and fusiform in shape. As the name suggests, this shark has six gill slits, unusual among…
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Bigeye Sixgill Shark article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.
Other invertebrates on CatchRules
Photo credit: iNaturalist / Wikipedia. Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.