Katran herring shark. Shark katran: a safe inhabitant of the Black Sea

Katran is another representative of the shark family. This species has many other names: spiny shark, dog shark, marigold, shortfin shark, etc.

Among all types of sharks, katrans are the most common in the territory of the Russian sea. These fish can be observed in the Black, Baltic and Azov seas.

But you should not, after learning this information, cancel a trip to the sea: katrans are completely safe for people, they are not interested in us as food.

Therefore, scientists assure that even being close to a katran will not cause harm, the main thing is not to touch the shark and not pick it up if you are not a specialist zoologist.

What does a katran shark look like

The body of this small shark is elongated, like that of all its relatives in the family. Katrans do not exceed two meters in length, however, such sizes are extremely rare: usually, the length of a shark ranges from 1 to 1.2 meters. The weight that individuals of this species can reach does not exceed 20 kilograms.

Katrans are painted in grayish shades, the abdominal region is always light or pure white. Main Feature these sharks are considered to have spiky spines. It is because of them that scientists do not advise taking sharks in your hands. With its thorns, the katran is protected from attacks. If a person stumbles upon such a spike, then the wound will hurt, because. the slime at the end of the spike has poisonous properties. But you should not be afraid: for a person, this poison is not fatal, you just need to quickly disinfect the wound.

Where does the katran live

The habitat of this shark is very wide. It is found in all oceans, although it is most abundant in cool and temperate zones. Katrans cannot stand the sultry heat, but icy waters are also not for them, because they cannot be found above Scandinavia.

The spiny shark keeps at a depth of 15 to 100 meters. At night, it can rise to the surface. When winter comes in the region of her residence, the katran descends to a depth of 300 meters.

Katran lifestyle

It is noted that sharks of this species very often live in small flocks.

The observations of scientists have shown that these sharks do not make migrations, especially large ones, although a case was recorded when the fish sailed from the waters of California to the Sea of ​​​​Japan.

As food, katrans are chosen sea ​​fish(sprats, red mullet and anchovy) as well as other animals: octopuses, crabs, and others. They also eat sea worms.

Reproduction of katrans

Like other sharks, katrans are ovoviviparous fish. First, the female katran bears eggs inside herself (this process can last up to 22 months). When the time comes for childbirth, from 15 to 20 small katranschiks are born. The length of newborns is up to 25 centimeters. Toddlers grow very quickly and get stronger and after a while they are ready for independent life. Puberty in young animals occurs at 12 - 15 years. In nature, katrans live no more than 25 years.

Katran - Black Sea shark

Meeting a shark in the Black Sea is not at all a bright prospect. The sea predator brings a terrible fear to children and adults. It turns out that the Katran shark is completely safe for humans.

Katran - graceful sea ​​creature. Among the dense thickets, she moves easily and gracefully. She is non-aggressive and never attacks people. It can be found in the Black, Azov and Baltic Seas, on Far East and in northern waters.

Short description

Katran is a small shark. The length of her body does not exceed 120 centimeters. The fish weighs from 8 to 12 kilograms. Occasionally in the seas there are individuals of 20-kilogram individuals of two meters in length.

The body of the katran has a classic shape: it is elongated and streamlined, covered with tiny prickly spikes.
The shape of the body and size allow it to develop high speed, rapidly pursuing prey.

The coloration is not bright: the belly is from gray to ash-white, the back is darker, steel-gray. Some individuals have light symmetrical spots on the sides.

Katran has a wide mouth with many small sharp teeth. Instead of worn-out fangs, new units constantly grow. The mouth is in the shape of a crescent, normally closed.

There is one fin on the back. The tail is paddle-shaped, mobile and acts as a rudder. hallmark from other sharks is the absence of an anal fin.

habitats

Katrans live in many seas of the world, in the bottom layers at a depth of 15 to 100 meters. Only at night they can rise to the surface. AT winter period dive to a depth of 300 meters.

Katran prefers cold waters and currents. The shark rarely swims away from the coastal zone; it is attracted to coastal waters.

Food

The main food base for the katran are schooling fish living in the water column: horse mackerel, whiting, sprats, small octopuses and mollusks. Sharks hunt small dolphins, mainly Azovka, and crabs.

reproduction

Sexual maturity occurs at 12-15 years of life of the fish. Differ in long-term monogamy.

Katran is an ovoviviparous shark. The female incubates the eggs in own body long, the term can reach 22 months. There is no typical spawning - small sharks are born. Newborn cubs are 20-25 centimeters long, one brood consists of 15-20 individuals. They grow rapidly and move to predatory image life.

We are accustomed to consider the Black Sea one of the safest in terms of marine life. In fact, the way it is, although there are some individuals here, a meeting with which does not bode well. Among them are the Cornerot jellyfish, sea ​​ruff, stingray, sea ​​dragon. There are also sharks, which, by the way, are completely safe for humans. Let's talk about them.

There are two types of sharks in the Black Sea - katran and cat. They pose no threat to humans. The only exceptions are fishermen, who can get hurt while catching them. But here, as they say, they themselves are to blame. It's all the fault of negligence when removing the caught fish from the hook, which can injure with its fins. As for cases of attacks on a person, they were not recorded. Katran is not an aggressive predator. Even when wounded by a harpoon, he does not attack the fisherman, although he could well do it. Fortunately, his teeth are very sharp. Caught on the hook, he desperately resists, trying to free himself. That is why, when removing the fish from the hook, you need to be especially careful. Before doing this, the katran must be stunned.

The skin of the katran is very rough. It is covered with plates of scales, with sharp spikes. In appearance, they resemble shark teeth, which are similar in sharpness to the teeth of a bench saw. If a tooth is worn out or broken, then a new one immediately grows in its place. This process is constant for the katran, and does not end until his death. A similar situation is with the skin of the Black Sea shark. When she is injured, the regeneration process is activated, and the wound quickly heals.

Until recently, the katran was caught not only for its tasty meat, but also because of its skin, which was used for grinding metals, precious wood products, and marble slabs. It was also used in the manufacture of book bindings. In ancient China, the skin was pulled over the shields of warriors. It was almost impossible to break through such a shield with a spear. Used in antiquity and shark teeth. They were equipped with combat batons, which after that became deadly weapon. Speaking of residents North America, then they used shark teeth as razors. The skin of a katran is also used in our time. Women's bags, shoes, and household items are sewn from it.

Compared to other types of sharks, the katran has a relatively small size, from 1.5 to 2 meters in length. Its body is gray-brown in color, with white spots on the sides. The dorsal fins are very sharp, with spikes at the ends. Skeleton he doesn't have. It is replaced by cartilage, which makes the katran extremely agile and fast. After all, it is the cartilaginous skeleton that allows the shark to make energetic movements with its body, which is its original mover.

AT summer time katran prefers to be in warm coastal waters. In winter, it goes to the open sea to great depths, up to 100 meters. The Black Sea shark lives on average 30 years. The period of puberty begins at the age of 15. For a long time, the katran remains faithful to its chosen one, therefore, there is an equilibrium in the sex ratio of fish. Katran is a viviparous fish. She brings offspring in April and May. This happens in the open sea, at a depth of up to 100 meters. Born sharks from the first minutes are ready for independent life. They feed on molluscs, small fish, shrimp.

At the mention of sharks, few people perceive them not as cruel predators, but as fish delicacy, however this is true - most varieties are caught and eaten. The most popular among gourmets was the katran shark, rarely reaching a length of more than 1.5 m and weighing 20 kg.

Katran practically does not stand out among sharks in speed or maneuverability. Like her heat-loving cousins, she constantly moves in clear water and is one of the main objects of trapping for shark oil, which is produced from their liver.

species name

The katran shark belongs to the family of spiny sharks called Squalidae, the main characteristic feature of which is the presence of fairly sharp thin spikes located in close proximity to the dorsal fins.

The color of the body is mostly dark gray, but there are rounded white spots on the back and sides, due to which this species was given the name - spotted spiny shark.

The skin is covered with small scales, so dense that it resembles emery in its structure. The teeth are small and arranged in several rows.

This shark is widespread enough, as a result of which it received a large number of names, the most common of which are:

• Squalus acanthias.
• Spiny and blunt shark.
• Shortfin and spotted shark.
• Marigold.
• Sea dog - this name was given to the katran for the ability to penetrate fishing nets, breaking them along with the caught fish.

Despite the variety of names, almost all of them are based on external signs characteristic of this species.

Features of the catch

The katran shark in the Black Sea (photo below) begins to react most actively to bait during the approach of autumn cold weather, when the water temperature near the coast drops to 20 degrees.

Willingly bites on live bait, preferring sprat, sprat or small gobies, in the absence of which you can use an ordinary worm. In the morning the biting is usually weak, increasing only towards the middle of the day. The most effective is fishing for a katran from a boat at night, in bays with sedentary and clear water.

Habitat

Katran is found almost everywhere, but most often it is caught in the Black Sea, where it is found right up to the coastal zone. Most comfortable this species feels in water zones with warm and temperate climate, but individual populations are found even in the northern seas.

Dimensions and nutritional features

The katran shark compares favorably with its dimensions among others predatory fish, being one of the most large varieties among representatives of the Katranov family and quite small compared to killer whales or white sharks. For the most part, the sizes of the caught katrans do not exceed 1.5 m.

Her teeth are arranged in several rows, and if for any reason they grind or fall out, new ones begin to grow in their place. Thanks to this feature, he literally grinds the food they caught.

In the event that the hunt was unsuccessful, it can even eat algae. Katrans attack schools of fish in small groups, chasing them until they are completely saturated.

External Data

It must be said that characteristics The behavior and appearance of modern sharks are not much different from their predecessors, who lived in the seas and oceans more than three hundred million years ago. The katran shark, the photo of which is presented below, is a typical predator, whose life expectancy often does not exceed a quarter of a century.

The structure of her body resembles in its appearance a spindle, ending with a tail of various lobes. The muzzle is pointed, the mouth is located transversely, and in front of the two dorsal fins there are sharp spikes covered with poisonous mucus, with which it can injure not only prey, but also humans.

Features of the body structure

It is noteworthy that the katran does not have swim bladder, and since their weight is much heavier than water, they must constantly be in motion, because he can stay on the water only as long as he moves at least his tail, otherwise they simply drown. In addition, travel to high speed also serves as one of the main factors of their well-being, because only during it a sufficient amount of oxygen enters the body through their gills. This shark is extremely difficult to take root outside natural environment, since at limited distances of oceanariums it is very difficult to develop their inherent speed of 50 km / h.

In order to find out at what depth the katran shark is found, you should carefully study the features of the life of this predator. For example, during the period of the appearance of newborn sharks (late April - early May), females with males prefer to be at great depths - from 40 to 100 m.

An interesting fact is that these sharks are hunted not only by other, larger underwater predators, but also by gulls, pulling small katrans out of the water, and then dropping them from a height to the ground, where they die from impact. After that, the seagulls calmly eat the prey.

Reproduction of katran

This type of shark is also notable for the fact that it is viviparous. After fertilization is completed, special capsules are formed in the body of the female, which contain up to 12 eggs, from which little sharks are formed over time. After their length begins to exceed 20 cm, they leave the mother's body and learn to hunt fry, mussels and small crustaceans. At the same time, the bearing of babies by the female can last from 1.5 to 2 years.

To provide the kids with the most comfortable conditions for development, the katrans move to warm waters, closer to the shore.

The mating period of individuals lasts throughout the winter. Juveniles are considered mature enough for breeding after they reach 1 m in length. Such dimensions are usually formed at the age of 10-12 years.

Due to its extreme mobility associated with biological features, the katran shark makes long migrations, being in constant search for more favorable feeding places. During the day, he prefers to sink to the bottom, and at night he rises closer to the surface.

It is also noteworthy that the katran, like other sharks, has an exceptionally developed sense of smell and practically no nerve endings, due to which it almost does not feel pain.

Beneficial features

Katran meat has a significant percentage of fat content, while maintaining a delicate structure and pleasant taste, especially when smoked.

Katran fillet is often used in the manufacture of fish sticks, but the greatest value is not even meat, but the liver, sometimes reaching up to 25% of the total body weight. It contains more than 70% fat, thanks to which the fish is kept on the surface without a swim bladder.

The katran shark, the photo of which is presented in this article, is almost completely processed when caught on an industrial scale. The fat contained in the liver is rich in vitamins A, E and D and is successfully used to obtain medicines. Leather is used as an abrasive material in the processing of valuable tree species, glue is made from cartilage and fins, and the jaw is used in the manufacture of impressive souvenirs.

Shark katran: cooking

The taste properties of the meat of this shark have been discovered for a long time, and although the strong skin of the shark makes cutting it for cooking a very difficult task, the katran has not yet lost its popularity.

To facilitate the process, it is customary to peel it off by dousing it with boiling water. Such preparatory measures greatly simplify the process, but they only work if the fish is fresh enough and has not had time to dry out.

Dishes from the katran shark contain a large amount of useful substances due to the high content of vitamins. In addition, its meat has a unique taste, thanks to which it is highly valued all over the world. Various dishes are prepared from this shark, in most cases it is boiled and seasoned with various sauces.

It is also noteworthy that, despite the way the katran shark is prepared, the recipes for its preparation require certain knowledge. The point is that since it lacks bladder, when extracted from the water, all the specific liquid spills over the insides of the predator, due to which the katran meat acquires a specific taste.

In order to restore its original taste, the cut fish must be washed with great care with a large amount of running water. cold water or soak in milk. Another, no less effective, method is freezing, after which all extraneous flavors disappear from the katran meat.

Despite the variety of cooking methods, the most delicious dish from this shark is considered roast, for the preparation of which it is customary to use only young individuals.

Human danger

The katran treats a person in the sea quite passively. Injury can only be obtained with careless handling during the catch.

In addition to an injection on the dorsal spike, the glands located at the base of the fins, which produce poison in a small amount, are the main danger to people.

The katran shark is the most common variety of these predators in the world. Its history begins with jurassic, and it has a significant difference from its counterparts: spines on the fins. Even the ancient Greek sailors paid attention to this feature and gave it the name ἄκανθα, which means “thorn”, “thorn”. Scientists call it Squalus acanthias. Many countries know it under the name of a sea dog, in the north of Russia they called it a nail or a nail.

The distribution area of ​​​​the katran shark is very wide; there are many places in the oceans where it is possible to encounter it. From Greenland to Argentina, the coast of Iceland and canary islands, Indian and Pacific Oceans, the coast of Australia and Japan, these predators are found everywhere. But too cold, like warm waters, does not like the katran, therefore you will not meet him in the Arctic, or in Antarctica, or in tropical seas. It usually does not move over long distances, but cases of long-distance migration have been repeatedly recorded.

Sharks in Russia feel great in the Black Sea. Off the eastern coast of the Japanese, and to the north, in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Bering Sea.

Usually this fish prefers not to move far from the coast, but in search of food, carried away, it is able to swim away to the open sea. It keeps in the bottom layers of the seas, sometimes descending to a considerable depth, straying into small flocks. On the surface, it is likely to see it at night or in the off-season, when the water temperature is close to 15 degrees.

In the cold period, adolescents and adult katrans keep together, they descend from the surface by 100, even 200 meters, where comfortable temperature of 8 degrees, and flocks of horse mackerel and anchovy frolic. The hot summer gives them the opportunity to catch sprats and whiting at a depth of 40 meters. This small fish does not tolerate overheating of water and sinks into cool layers, where it becomes food for katrans.

The body of the katran is elongated and slender, with smooth streamlined lines, resembling a torpedo. This perfect form gives her the opportunity in the water move quickly, even at lightning speed. The color of its small scales is usually dark gray, shimmering with steel, and light, closer to the stomach, but there are also individuals whose sides are dotted with small whitish spots.

The snout of a prickly shark is pointed, some even find a resemblance to a sturgeon, but the characteristic evil sickle-shaped “smile” and medium-sized, oval, unblinking eyes immediately betray a merciless predator.

The teeth of the katran in the mouth are arranged in several rows, although they are small, they resemble fangs in shape and are very sharp. These dangerous weapons allow her to cut, tear food into small pieces. There are at least a hundred of them, and if they have worn off, been torn out or fallen out, young, healthy ones quickly grow up in this place.

The spines are located in front of both dorsal fins, at the very base. And if the first large fin has a small spike, then the second, smaller one has a much longer spine, it is almost the same as the height of the fin.

cartilaginous skeleton greatly lightens the weight of the shark. And its dimensions are small, for example, the Black Sea katran rarely exceeds a meter in length. Its northern counterparts are usually larger. But more than 160 cm sharks of this breed were not recorded.

The speed of movement is ensured by the graceful oscillatory bends of the body, and the fins help it change and maintain a horizontal or vertical position of the body. The variegated tail acts as a rudder and is involved in movement.

You can also identify a prickly shark by the absence of an anal fin, this is a specific sign of a katran shark. The photo perfectly demonstrates appearance predator.

reproduction

In the spring, the males fertilize the female and eggs begin to develop inside her in the oviducts. They are placed in two thin capsules approximately 13 pieces. The gestation period of katran females is a kind of record among the animal world of vertebrates. After 18 (sometimes the gestation time lasts up to 22) months, when the small katrans are finally formed in the mother's abdomen, the females go to shallower waters to spawn. There, it is easier for newborn sharks to find suitable food for themselves in the form of fry of other fish species or small crustaceans and shrimp.

live fry are born with a size not exceeding 27 centimeters. There may be several of them, but more than 29 fry are never born, but they are quite viable and independent, they can already freely get their own food.

Only after 11 years, when the males grow up to 80 centimeters in length, they will become sexually mature, and the females will be able to give birth after 18, reaching a meter in length. This fish usually lives up to 30 years, but among some species there are centenarians. How old a caught katran can be determined by the saw cut of a thorn, like a tree, every year lived is reflected on it with a new ring.

Food

The diet of katrans is varied, and although it cannot be said that it is very large predator, shark nature and structure of teeth and jaws allows for significant bites marine life. He grabs its prey with its teeth, tears it into pieces, crushes and swallows.

• Its potential food could be haddock and saithe, salmon, mackerel and flounder.
• She can eat squid, shrimps, crabs, hunt for jellyfish, and does not shun algae.

But they should also be wary of their larger counterparts, and even gulls catch young katrans, smash them against stones, so that later they peck at an already motionless body.

Man and Black Sea shark

Katrans sometimes become a real disaster for fishermen, they destroy the catch, gnawing through the nets, tearing the gear, and, eating the caught fish, it is not without reason that the name stuck to them - sea dogs.

visiting Black Sea beaches, some tourists are worried: are there sharks in the sea, how dangerous is swimming? Suddenly these predators will attack the vacationers?

Katran has no habit of attacking a person Moreover, she avoids meeting him. It is very difficult to take a photo of the Black Sea shark, its excellent sense of smell allows it to feel a potential enemy at a long distance, and quickly retreat, avoiding danger. After all, she understands that for bipeds, too, is of interest. They are killed not only for the sake of obtaining excellent meat, but also for sports passion.

But the fish caught in the net is very active: it strongly arches and beats, and then there is a danger of being hurt by its spikes or rays of fins. And the glands at the very base of the spines secrete slimy poison, and although it is not considered strong, getting it into the wound is fraught with significant inflammation.

Of course, the katran is not caught on a huge industrial scale, but it plays a certain role in the global industry.

And although this shark belongs to a wide variety, but her long pregnancy, slow maturation, was the reason international organization Conservation Authority to categorize it as Vulnerable and limit the catch of these sharks.