The Chilean angel shark bears a resemblance to a small, flat shark that looks like a ray. They are mostly found in shallow coastal waters in the Southeast Pacific, from Colombia to the Strait of Magellan, Chile. This species of shark is defined as Squatina armata, Chilean angel shark in English and Angelote in Spanish.
Chilean angel shark, file photo. (Photo credit: Wikimedia)
New Delhi: Our planet never misses an opportunity to surprise us with its mysterious activities. In a recent incident, the fishermen of Artisanal were surprised by the act of our planet. Like other days, they were on the hunt for bony fish off the Chilean coast, but surprisingly, they encountered a rare species of fish that had remained missing for centuries. Identified as the Chilean angel shark, the history of this fish dates back to 1880s and was originally documented in 1887. However, in the latest study published in the European Journal of Taxonomy on April 25, researchers found that the theory of 1887 provided only a few measurements of the body, which were not sufficient enough to identify the specimen from its close relatives, as reported by The Miami Herald.
Facts to know about the Chilean angel shark
The Chilean angel shark bears a resemblance to a small, flat shark that looks like a ray. They are mostly found in shallow coastal waters in the Southeast Pacific, from Colombia to the Strait of Magellan, Chile.
While this species of shark is defined as Squatina armata, it is also known as the Chilean angel shark in English and Angelote in Spanish.
According to researchers who identified them, these species of sharks have a distinctive appearance with enlarged dorsal thorns, a small, sharp, hook-shaped protrusions found on both their backs as well as heads.
According to Researchgate, the Chilean Angel shark is also known as Squatina armata and is a medium-sized shark growing up to a length of 150 centimetres.
This species of fish is demersal, i.e., it prefers living close to the surface of the sea to around 400 m depth. The population of this species may be mixed into the distribution of the Pacific Angel shark. As a result, the identification of the specimen and the distribution of its boundaries have not been clearly defined. Throughout its habitat, the meat of the fish is consumed by the local residents.
Because of their rare appearance, limited research, and rare sightings, this shark species has been classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.
Diet of Chilean angel shark
The Chilean angel shark primarily consumes crustaceans, elasmobranchs, mollusks, lizardfish, teleosts and their remains. Additionally, they also prefer eating some species of shrimp. This species of shark can be termed a piscivorous, selective, and carcinophagus predator. They were also found to be specialist predators, which means they only feed on selective prey types and in specific environments.
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