Page 118 - (DK) Super Shark Encyclopedia: And Other Creatures of the Deep

CRAB KILLER

STARRY SMOOTH-HOUND AT A GLANCE

Strong jaws are more important than cutting teeth when you spend
your life munching on crabs. The starry smooth-hound, named for the
small, white, star-shaped markings on its body, eats little else and has
done away with biting blades altogether. Instead, its mouth has rows
of tiny overlapping teeth that act as a rough grinding surface, perfect
for taking a firm hold on a crab’s shell. Then it is up to the powerful • SIZE 4½–5 ft (1.4–1.5 m)
jaw muscles to crunch through to the meat.
• HABITAT Coastal marine waters with
sandy and gravelly bottoms
• LOCATION Northeastern Atlantic Ocean,
STATS AND FACTS North Sea, and Mediterranean Sea
• DIET Mainly crabs, hermit crabs, and lobsters
MAXIMUM DEPTH
The starry smooth-
ft 300 600 900 1,200
hound swims close
to the bottom,
m 100 200 300 400 where it is most
1,150 ft (350 m) “Smooth-
likely to find its
favorite prey: crabs
DIET 56% swimming 34% other and lobsters.
crabs crustaceans 2% fish
hounds feed in
7% hermit crabs 1% sea
cucumbers groups – just

like a pack
Starry shark
The tiny white stars that pepper
the back of a starry smooth-hound
are clear in some individuals, but of dogs!”
indistinct or even missing in others.

Second dorsal fin
slightly smaller
than first dorsal fin

Long tail
with notch

Broad, round mouth contains
rows of small crushing teeth
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