While the Daggernose shark (Isogomphodon oxyrhynchus) may look like a menace, their small size and numbers make them rather timid and are not a threat to humans. Their range is in the more humid tropical climate of northern South America.
Like many other critically endangered species, slow maturity, reproduction method and large gill nets used for fishing are the main reasons for this shark species’ push to the edge of extinction. The Daggernose shark reproduces every other year and has a litter size of 2-8 pups. Females mature approximately at the age of 7 while the males around 6.
In 2016 researchers, Rosangela Lessa, et al. did a study in Brazil on this interesting species to determine their population status. They concluded that although Brazil had conservation laws to help protect this species in place, they were unregulated, and catch sizes were not being reported.
The team also realized that the biggest threat to Daggernose sharks were large gill nets used by fishermen as well as the loss of mangrove habitat. They concluded that despite Brazil’s best effort this species has been pushed even closer to extinction.
Rosangela Lessa, et al. explain more about the collapse of the daggernose shark in “Close to extinction? The collapse of the endemic Daggernose shark (Isogomphodon oxyrhynchus) off Brazil” find it here.