Starry smooth-hound
Mustelus asterias
A slender grey shark of sandy seabeds, sprinkled with tiny white spots. It lives mostly out of sight, and no sighting is ever a promise.
Near Threatened (IUCN, 2020) means it is close to qualifying as threatened, mainly because of fishing pressure.
Length
Adults about 80 to 140 cm (2 ft 7 in to 4 ft 7 in); maximum 154 cm (5 ft 1 in) in FishBase
Weight
Maximum published weight about 4.8 kg (10.6 lb) in FishBase
Next to a person
About as long as a child to a short adult is tall, and far lighter than an adult
What it eats
Mainly crustaceans such as crabs, hermit crabs, lobsters and slipper lobsters (FishBase). Wikipedia adds molluscs. Nausicaa says young sharks eat mostly crustaceans while adults move on to fish.
Around people
Calm, give space
How it lives
It lives on continental shelves over sand and gravel, from the shore down to about 200 to 350 m depending on the source. Young are born live, nourished by the yolk sac. FishBase gives litters of 7 to 15 pups, about 30 cm long, while Nausicaa gives about 20 young after a gestation of 11 to 13 months, so figures differ. Females mature at about 80 to 85 cm.
Where it goes
The sources read give no migration route. They describe it on sandy and gravelly seabeds of the continental shelf.
We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.
Populations
Assessed as Near Threatened worldwide in August 2020. Nausicaa describes this as a downgrade from the earlier Least Concern. It is vulnerable to bycatch and targeted fishing, and it is a popular ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine. Wikipedia reports that in the Mediterranean it qualifies as Vulnerable, because of declining numbers and targeted fishing. It lives in the eastern Atlantic from southern Norway, Scotland and the North Sea south to Morocco, with FishBase extending the range to the Canary Islands and Mauritania. No overall population count was found in the sources read.
Meet it respectfully
This is a shy bottom-dweller, so a calm distance and slow movement matter most. Never chase, touch, feed or bait one. FishBase lists it as harmless to people. Follow your guide, and follow local rules where they apply.
Fun fact
Tap the bulb to light it up.
Its back is grey or grey-brown with small white spots. The spots are not a reliable guide, because genetic work shows most smooth-hounds around British coasts are this species, whether or not they show the spots.
Its teeth are flat and molar-like, with reduced cusps.
Some fishmongers sell it as rock salmon.
Starry smooth-hound in the Ocean Atlas
Places we have researched where this animal is recorded. It is never guaranteed, and some places are for watching from the boat only.
Travel with usComing soonTrusted referralExploringOn pause, story onlyEthics pass
Country colour: pink where we travel, blue where we are exploring or refer, grey for story only.
Belgium
Croatia
Denmark
France
Germany
Ireland
Netherlands
Norway
United KingdomSources for this page
- FishBase, Mustelus asterias
- Wikipedia, Starry smooth-hound
- State of the Coast Scotland, Starry smoothhound
- Nausicaa, Starry smoothhound
- Shark-references, Mustelus asterias
- IUCN Red List record via GBIF
Facts checked 5 October 2026. Photos: Unsplash licence, or Creative Commons as shown on each photo.
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