Kitefin shark: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the kitefin shark lives – recorded in 8 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Dalatias licha
Group	Sharks
Status	Vulnerable (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	8 countries
Continents	Europe, Oceania
Class	Cartilaginous fish
Order	Squaliformes
Family	Dalatiidae

Where does the kitefin shark live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the kitefin shark in 8 countries and territories across Europe and Oceania. Wikidata gives its range as: Brazil.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the kitefin shark endangered?

The kitefin shark’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Vulnerable” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the kitefin shark?

The kitefin shark (Dalatias licha) is a cartilaginous fish in the order Squaliformes and the family Dalatiidae, genus Dalatias. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the kitefin shark

The kitefin shark or seal shark (Dalatias licha) is a species of squaliform shark in the family Dalatiidae, and the type species in its genus. It is found sporadically around the world, usually close to the sea floor at depths of 200–600 m (660–1,970 ft). With a sizable oil-filled liver to maintain neutral buoyancy, this shark is able to cruise slowly through the water while expending little energy. The kitefin shark, the largest luminous vertebrate on record, has a slender body with a very short, blunt snout, large eyes, and thick lips. Its teeth are highly differentiated between the upper and lower jaws, with the upper teeth small and narrow and the lower teeth large, triangular, and serrated. Its typical length is 1.0–1.4 m (3.3–4.6 ft), though examples as long as 5.9 ft (180 cm) have been encountered.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Kitefin shark (revision 1374252499), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q1321783 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).