Broadnose Sevengill Shark

One of only a handful of living sharks retaining seven gill slits rather than the five typical of most modern species, the broadnose sevengill shark is a large, robust predator distinguished by a broad, blunt head, small dorsal fin set far back on the body, and irregular dark spots scattered across a grey or brown body. Adults can exceed three meters in length. It is an opportunistic apex and mesopredator, feeding on other sharks, rays, marine mammals, fish, and carrion, and is known to hunt cooperatively in groups, a behavior unusual among sharks.

This positions it as an important regulator of coastal marine food webs.

The species occupies temperate coastal and shelf waters, including bays, estuaries, and shallow inshore zones used as nursery habitat, as well as deeper offshore waters. Its range spans both hemispheres, with populations documented off the United States, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, and numerous other coastal nations, reflecting a broad but patchily distributed global presence.

Population decline is driven primarily by fishing pressure, both targeted commercial and recreational harvest and incidental bycatch in gillnets and longlines. Because sevengills often congregate in shallow, accessible coastal habitats and nursery areas, they are especially vulnerable to localized depletion, and their late maturity and low reproductive rate limit population recovery.

Conservation responses include regional fishing regulations, catch limits, and protections within some marine protected areas that overlap with known nursery grounds, along with ongoing population monitoring in several countries. Enforcement and data remain inconsistent across its wide range. Given continued fishing pressure and slow life-history traits, the species' overall trajectory remains one of gradual decline, warranting sustained monitoring and management attention.