Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Chondrichthyes
- Order
- Myliobatiformes
- Family
- Etmopteridae
- Genus
- Etmopterus
- Species
- spinax
Habitat
This species inhabits deep waters of the continental slopes and shelves, typically at depths of 200 to 1,500 meters in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. It prefers cold, dark environments with muddy or sandy substrates, often near underwater canyons or seamounts. Geographic preferences include the Northeast and Southeast Atlantic, where it avoids shallow coastal areas.
Diet
The velvet belly lantern shark primarily feeds on small bony fish, squid, and crustaceans such as shrimp and krill. It hunts at night using its bioluminescence to attract prey or camouflage against predators from below. Feeding occurs mainly in mid-water depths, with opportunistic scavenging also observed.
Behavior
This shark is primarily nocturnal, spending daylight hours resting on the seafloor and becoming active at night to hunt. It exhibits solitary behavior but may form loose aggregations in areas with abundant food. The species uses bioluminescence for counter-illumination to avoid detection and possibly for mating displays, showing minimal territorial tendencies.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern by IUCN.