Fish
Bramble Shark
Echinorhinus brucus · also called spiny shark
Bristling with scattered, thorn-like denticles rather than the smooth scales carried by most of its relatives, a bramble shark moves slowly along the seafloor, a rarely seen and still poorly understood predator of deep, scattered ocean habitat.
Overview
The bramble shark, Echinorhinus brucus, is a heavy-bodied deep-water shark native to scattered ocean habitat recorded across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Its thorn-like denticle covering, single far-set dorsal fin, and Endangered conservation status make it one of the more unusual and vulnerable shark species patrolling the world’s deeper waters.
A shark wearing its own name
Where most sharks carry smooth, uniform scales, the bramble shark’s scattered, oversized denticles create a rough, thorn-covered texture unlike almost anything else in the shark world, a feature distinctive enough that it gave the species its common name on sight alone.
Status
Endangered, with populations declining sharply in parts of its range due to bycatch in deep-sea fisheries and limited by the species’ slow reproduction.
Bramble Shark: common questions
Why is it called the bramble shark?
This species is covered in scattered, unusually large, thorn-like denticles rather than the smooth, evenly spaced scales typical of most shark species, giving its skin a distinctly bramble-like texture that inspired the common name.
How many dorsal fins does the bramble shark have?
This species has only a single dorsal fin set far back on its body, an unusual trait among sharks, most of which have two dorsal fins positioned further forward.
Is the bramble shark a fast swimmer?
No, this species has a heavy, thick-bodied build and is generally considered a slow, sluggish swimmer compared with many other shark species.
Why is the bramble shark considered Endangered?
Bramble shark populations have declined sharply in parts of their range due to bycatch in deep-sea fisheries, and the species' slow reproduction and patchy distribution have limited its ability to recover.