Lantern Sharks have long bodies with somewhat long snouts with comb-like teeth. Many contain photophores (a glandular organ that appears as luminous spots.)
They live in the deep waters throughout the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. They prefer continental slopes and shelves around 300-1000 meters.
Small Bony Fish and Krill. Bigger species will sometimes eat Cephalopods.
Not much is known about these sharks because they have not been studied comprehensively.
There are nearly 50 species of Lantern Sharks across five genera. 75% of the species can be found in the Etmopterus Genus.
- Aculeola (Hooktooth Dogfish)
- Centroscyllium (Big-eyed, Deepwater, Dogfish)
- Etmopterus (Lantern Sharks)
- †Paraetmopterus
- Trigonognathus (Viper Dogfish
It contains the smallest of all the sharks; the dwarf lantern shark growing to a maximum of 20 cm.
