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TopGon — Hexanchus nakamurai

Published: 2012-08-06 10:42:21 +0000 UTC; Views: 2390; Favourites: 36; Downloads: 0
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Description Hexanchus nakamurai, is a smaller (2m) member of Hexanchidae family. Known as the Big-eye six gill shark or Cow shark, it is very similar to it's much larger relative H. griseus and is hardly distinguishable from the juveniles of H.griseus. As it's common name suggests, it's main characteristic are it's proportionally large fluorescent eyes. Like H.griseus the Big eye is a deep sea dweller and spends most of his life between 100 to 600 meters. There it feeds on smaller fish and invertebrates. Not much is known about this shark but presumably it's behavior would be simmilar to H. griseus except that larger sharks predate on it and not inverse.

There is not enought data to know it's conservation status, but we can assume that it is endangered just like many other deep water sharks. They are fished using deep sea trawling methods and deep long-line fishing.  It is not dangerous to people. It is utilised for its liver, fins and meat, but it is of little value due to its relatively small size.

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Hexanchus nakamurai, un miembro menor (2 m) de la familia Hexanchidae. Conocido como cañabota de ojo grande u ojigrande, es muy similar a su pariente cercano H. griseus y es difícilmente distinguible de los juveniles de éste. Como su nombre común indica, su característica principal son sus proporcinalmente grandes ojos fluorescentes. Al igual que H. griseus, se trata de un habitante de las grandes profundidades marinas, habitando entre los 100 y los 1500 metros. Allí se alimenta de peces menores e invertebrados. No se sabe demasiado a cerca de este tiburón, pero presumiblemente su comportamiento se asemeje al de H. griseus excepto por que los tiburones mayores depredan sobre él y no a la inversa.

No hay suficientes datos como para evaluar su estado de conservación pero podemos asumir que está seriamente amenzado (como otros tiburones de profundidad) por los arrastretros y palangreros de profundidad.
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Comments: 10

namu-the-orca [2013-07-31 07:12:05 +0000 UTC]

Such a gorgeous species of shark, and again endangered. It seems like sharks can never catch a break with on one hand climate change and fishing and on the other hand people who just want to kill them all for no particular reason. I love the sixgills' green eyes, they're amazing. 

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TopGon In reply to namu-the-orca [2013-08-02 09:40:50 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, but may be those ultra-deep sea species would be the only shark survivors the next century... Unfortunately the other, and a greater proportion of species, have a very dark future if there is not a major change in our relationship with the oceans.

I agree, six and seven gill sharks are fascinating and the eyes of some deep-sea sharks are one of these things that catch you. I remember the first time I saw it, was in a NG documentary called "Danger, sharks" may be 20-25 years ago xD That shiny fluorescent green shocked me.
I don't know what is the exact propose of this feature. Presumably is a way to capture the poor light that could be found there, we know about there are uncountable annimals that use bioluminiscence, and that should be enougth to find a way to a food source.

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namu-the-orca In reply to TopGon [2013-08-02 11:21:09 +0000 UTC]

Indeed; if we keep going at the rate we currently are, our oceans will go back in time very quickly, eventually only inhabited by jellyfish and animals from the deep sea. It's horribe what an extremely bad view people stil have of sharks, while they totalyl do not deserve it.

Hmm, it could indeed very well be an adaptation to their usually dark surroundings. I also saw it for the first time on a NG documentary, only then one that'd been made a bit earlier It was specifically about animals living deep down I believe, and as that sixgill swam close to the camera, its gorgeous eyes just amazed me. Whatever their function, it sure is an incredibly beautiful feature ♥

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TopGon In reply to namu-the-orca [2013-08-02 14:43:14 +0000 UTC]

Oldschool documentaries... xDDD There is another one from Cousteau with a very large specimen of H. griseus surrounding his deep inmersion submarine that was awesome.

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namu-the-orca In reply to TopGon [2013-08-10 06:22:05 +0000 UTC]

Might have been that one, actually - I do remember these people sitting in a sub and this huge shark just wandering past. Was gorgeous

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Zimices [2012-08-07 00:27:51 +0000 UTC]

Se ven muy primitivos, aunque tal vez sea por efecto de su ambiente más que de su ascendencia

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TopGon In reply to Zimices [2012-08-07 06:46:40 +0000 UTC]

Pues no sabría decirte, es cierto que los tiburones de gran profundidad tienden a tener un aspecto similar y un comportamiento pausado. En cierto sentido es debido a su ambiente, pues el frío y los hábitos carroñeros promueven un estilo de vida así. Lo de primitivos lo digo también por la presencia en el registro fósil, muy significativa.
De esta familia me falta sólo una especie. El siguiente paso quizás sean los tiburones zorro... No sé, tengo que decidir xD

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Zimices In reply to TopGon [2012-08-07 07:06:25 +0000 UTC]

Ciertamente que puede ser el caso, aunque no sé mucho de las filogenias de los tiburones... Solo queda decir que estos tiburones van quedando muy bien

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TopGon In reply to Zimices [2012-08-07 08:47:17 +0000 UTC]

¡Gracias compañero!

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Last-Alexiel [2012-08-06 22:03:35 +0000 UTC]

Este sí que tiene ojazos...

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