Pacific sleeper shark: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the Pacific sleeper shark lives – recorded in 1 country, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Somniosus pacificus
Group	Sharks
Status	Near threatened (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	1 country
Continents	North America
Class	Cartilaginous fish
Order	Squaliformes
Family	Somniosidae

Where does the Pacific sleeper shark live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Pacific sleeper shark in 1 country or territory across North America.

United States

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 Pacific sleeper shark endangered?

The Pacific sleeper shark’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Near threatened” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the Pacific sleeper shark?

The Pacific sleeper shark (Somniosus pacificus) is a cartilaginous fish in the order Squaliformes and the family Somniosidae, genus Somniosus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Pacific sleeper shark

The Pacific sleeper shark (Somniosus pacificus) is a shark of the family Somniosidae, the sleeper sharks. While primarily associated with temperate and subarctic waters of the Northern Pacific Ocean, it has been documented in the tropical Pacific and Antarctic Ocean as well. Reaching lengths of 4.65 m (15.3 ft), it is one of the world's largest predatory sharks. It is highly adapted to the extreme temperature and pressures of the deep-sea, including specialized liver oils and high concentrations of urea and trimethylamine oxide for survival. The sleeper shark has a sluggish reputation, but is also a versatile hunter and scavenger that migrates vertically. Due to its slow growth and vulnerability to fishing bycatch, it is currently classified as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Pacific sleeper shark (revision 1380978288), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q533894 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).