Angular Roughshark: The Jet-Shaped Mystery of the Deep

Not Your Average Shark

The angular roughshark (Oxynotus centrina) is far from the sleek, torpedo-shaped sharks most people imagine. With a chunky, triangular body, large sail-like dorsal fins, and skin that feels like sandpaper, this odd-looking shark belongs to a family known as Oxynotidae — often called the “rough sharks.”

Its name says it all: “angular” for its sharp-edged body and “rough” for its texture. This is a fish that looks like a stealth fighter jet gliding across the ocean floor — if fighter jets were covered in gritty armor.

A Life in the Shadows

Angular roughsharks are deep-sea dwellers, found at depths ranging from 60 to 660 meters. They prefer the continental slopes and muddy bottoms of the eastern Atlantic and parts of the Mediterranean Sea. These waters are dark, cold, and pressurized — an environment where only the most specialized creatures survive.

Because they live so deep, sightings of angular roughsharks are rare, and much about their behavior remains a mystery. Most of what we know comes from occasional captures in deep-sea trawls.

Compact and Armored

Unlike the ocean giants, angular roughsharks are small — typically only 50 to 80 centimeters long. Their thick, rigid bodies are supported by strong muscles and dense cartilage. The rough texture of their skin comes from dermal denticles, tiny tooth-like scales that reduce drag and protect the shark from injury.

The large dorsal fins — both armed with small spines — may act as a defense mechanism or help stabilize their slow, gliding movements in the water. With their broad head and wide mouth, they likely feed on soft-bodied prey such as worms, crustaceans, or small mollusks hiding in the sediment.

A Strange Way of Breathing

One fascinating feature of the angular roughshark is its enlarged spiracles — openings just behind the eyes that allow it to pump water over its gills without needing to swim continuously. This adaptation is essential for a bottom-dweller living in still waters. It breathes silently, patiently, as it lies close to the ocean floor — unseen, unheard.

Slow Movers, Long Lives

Like many deep-sea species, angular roughsharks grow slowly, mature late, and likely live long lives. They reproduce via ovoviviparity — where eggs hatch inside the mother and young sharks are born alive. Litters are small, and population growth is slow. This life strategy makes them especially vulnerable to overfishing and environmental changes.

A Reminder of Ocean Diversity

The angular roughshark may not be a star in ocean documentaries, but its bizarre shape and secretive life speak to the immense diversity that thrives beneath the waves. Its presence reminds us that not all sharks are hunters or headline-grabbers. Some are quiet caretakers of the deep — slow-moving, ancient, and barely known.

Why We Should Care

In the grand design of marine ecosystems, every species — no matter how odd or obscure — plays a role. The angular roughshark helps maintain the balance of benthic life by feeding on bottom-dwelling organisms. Its slow metabolism, unique body plan, and deep-sea lifestyle offer valuable insight into evolution, adaptation, and survival.

Yet, like many deep-sea species, it suffers from our blind spots. It’s easy to overlook creatures we rarely see, but ignorance doesn't shield them from harm.

Final Thoughts: The Unknown Guardians of the Deep

The angular roughshark is a creature of paradoxes — small, yet armored; slow, yet graceful; unknown, yet deeply vital. It doesn’t demand attention, and it doesn’t strike fear. But it matters.

In the silence of the deep sea, where sunlight never reaches, this peculiar shark drifts with quiet purpose. It is a fragment of a larger story — one where Earth’s most unusual animals live far from our eyes, yet remain affected by our choices. By protecting them, we’re not just saving species. We’re preserving the secrets of a world still mostly unexplored.