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Small Spotted Catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) lies back at home, Cirkewwa, Malta
This is one of forty Small Spotted Catsharks (Scyliorhinus canicula) released back into their natural habitat (on 10th Jan 2015) after being reared in captivity by members of Sharklab-Malta. The sharks were collected as mermaids purses (their initial egg-like state) from dead sharks landed by fishermen at the local fishmarket in Malta. Unfortunately this is not a great shot, just a screenshot taken from some video footage of the release. Posted more for a species introduction.
The small-spotted catshark or lesser spotted dogfish, ''Scyliorhinus canicula'', is a catshark of the family Scyliorhinidae. It is found on the continental shelves and the uppermost slopes off the coasts of Norway and the British Isles south to Senegal, including the Mediterranean between latitudes 63° N and 12° N. It can grow up to a length of 1 m , and it can weigh more than 2 kg . It is found primarily over sandy, gravelly, or muddy bottoms at depths of a few metres down to 400 m... more
