Hexanchidae
Average Size – 10ft-15ft
Cow Sharks have a single dorsal fin and are missing the large dorsal fin found on many other sharks.
They have long, comb-like teeth.
They are characterized by their additional pair of gill slits.
Little is known about their distribution, but they live in deep cold waters of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic ocean. Some of these sharks, such as the Sevengill, are known to be “benthic” and spend most of their time near the ocean floor.
Bony fish, Crustaceans and other Sharks.
They will sometimes hunt in packs to capture large prey. Some have the ability to change their feeding mechanism in different feeding contexts. Depending on the situation, they are able to use different feeding techniques to better manipulate their food.
There are 37 species across 10 genera within this order, but only 5 extant(living) species remain:
- Bluntnose Sixgill Shark (Pictured)
- Bigeyed Sixgill Shark
- Atlantic Sixgill Shark (Recently Discovered)
- Broadnose Sevengill Shark (Pictured)
- Sharpnose Sevengill Shark
They are considered the most primitive of all the sharks because their skeletons resemble extinct forms and have few modern adaptations.
Little is known about these sharks because they spend most of their time in dark deep waters. However, they will come to shallower waters to breed.
