Captured by Shee-Shee Elaine, a spotted catshark was found by a walker near Boscombe Pier.
A small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula), also known as the sandy dogfish, lesser-spotted dogfish, rough-hound or morgay, is the most common shark in UK waters, growing to around 1 metre in length, and named due to the dark spots and blotches covering its skin.
A small-spotted catshark found in Boscombe Beach (Image: Shee-Shee Elaine)
The sharks live close to the seabed in shallow waters down to 100m deep, feeding on crabs, molluscs and other small fish. When threatened, catshark curl up into a donut shape.
They are known to wash up dead on beaches in the UK after storms.
Small-spotted catshark are smaller and more spotty than the scarcer nursehound (also known as large spotted dogfish or bull huss), and have very rough, pale cream skin, large dark cat-like eyes and a small mouth. Its eggs cases or ‘mermaid’s purses’ are often found washed up onshore.