Spiny Dogfish | Koinga

This isn't your average shark! The spiny dogfish is a schooling traveller that can live for 70 years. They get their name from the venomous spikes on their dorsal fins, which they arch at anything that tries to eat them. They are incredibly slow growers, with a pregnancy that can last up to two years - one of the longest in the animal kingdom! Unfortunately, because they school in the thousands, they are easily caught by commercial fisheries. Now classified as vulnerable, these spotted, opportunistic hunters need a bit of a break to ensure their long-lived legacy continues.