Gulper Shark Jaw ex Dr. Gordon Hubbell

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Gulper Shark Jaw (Centrophorus granulosus)

The Gulper Shark is the flagship species of the genus Centrophorus — the one that gave the group its name in the common imagination — and a jaw with verified collection data from Dr. Gordon Hubbell's archive represents exactly the kind of material the trade rarely produces. Wide-ranging but chronically over-exploited, slow to mature, and nearly impossible to recover once populations decline, Centrophorus granulosus is a species whose documented specimens carry weight that grows with every passing season.

Species & Classification

• Scientific Name: Centrophorus granulosus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
• Common Names: Gulper Shark, Gulper
• Family: Centrophoridae (Gulper Sharks)
• Order: Squaliformes
• Etymology: Centrophorus derives from the Latin centrum (prickle or sharp point) and Greek phoreus (bearer or carrier), referring to the grooved spines on the dorsal fins; granulosus comes from the Latin granum (grain or seed) with the suffix -osus (fullness), referring to its granular brown skin FishBase

Biology & Physical Characteristics

• Long and slender dogfish; light grayish brown, paler ventrally; long snout and large greenish eyes; two dorsal fins bearing long grooved spines Wikipedia
• The origin of the first dorsal fin is over the axil of the pectoral fin; rear tips of the pectoral fins have narrowly expanded, angular, rear lobes that extend posterior to the origin of the first dorsal spine Florida Museum
• Maximum length 124 cm for males; 165 cm for females; depth range 98–1,700 m, usually 200–600 m FishBase
• Average adult males 80–95 cm; average adult females 90–100 cm Wikipedia
• Lateral tooth-like projections on the body are flat and diamond-shaped without an elevated stalk — distinguishing it from the closely related Leafscale Gulper Shark (C. squamosus) MarLIN
• No anal fin; bathydemersal in habit

Habitat & Distribution

• Circumglobal: all ocean basins except the Eastern Pacific and Mediterranean; depth range 98–1,700 m, usually 200–600 m FishBase
• Wide distribution in all ocean basins; scattered records likely due to the difficulties in accurately identifying Centrophorus species Shark-References
• Common in the eastern and western North Atlantic; recorded off Portugal, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and France; also western Indian Ocean including South Africa, Mozambique Channel, and Madagascar; western Pacific near Taiwan Florida Museum
• Bathydemersal, living and feeding at depths exceeding 200 m; commonly observed along outer continental shelves and upper slopes, usually on or near the bottom substrate Florida Museum

Diet & Behavior

• Feeds on hake, lanternfish, and other deepwater bony fish, as well as squid MarLIN
• Migrates and appears to school in small groups; poses little to no threat to humans due to its deep-water habitat Florida Museum

Reproduction

• Ovoviviparous with 1–2 pups per litter Shark Research Institute — one of the lowest reproductive outputs of any large shark
• Gestation period of approximately 2 years; pups measure approximately 30–42 cm at birth Florida Museum
• Females mature at age 12–16 years; males at age 7–8 years — a slow life history strategy that makes recovery from exploitation extremely difficult Wikipedia
• A population that undergoes intensive fishing pressure may take 15 years or longer to recover, if at all, based on maturation time Wikipedia

Conservation Status

• Critically endangered regionally around Australia Shark Research Institute
• Abundance has been declining very steeply in the OSPAR Maritime Area following establishment of directed longline fisheries; the species cannot support directed fisheries OSPAR Commission
• Often misidentified in catch records as other Centrophorus species or lumped under generic categories such as "siki shark" or "various sharks nei" — making reliable population data impossible to compile OSPAR Commission
• Fished with bottom trawls, hook and line, and pelagic trawls; targeted by some deepwater longline fisheries; processed for fishmeal and liver oil Florida Museum

Misc. & Collector Facts

• As the type species and most widely recognized member of Centrophorus, C. granulosus is the natural anchor piece for any Centrophorus genus display — complementing the Smallfin Gulper (C. moluccensis), Lowfin Gulper (C. lusitanicus), and Dwarf Gulper (C. atromarginatus) already in the Hubbell collection catalog
• Taxonomic issues in the genus have only recently been resolved following a major 2013 revision — older specimens and records frequently conflated this species with others Shark-References, making pre-revision Hubbell collection specimens with verified data historically important
• The combination of global range, extreme conservation concern, and a 1–2 pup litter size places this species in a very small category of sharks where every documented specimen represents something genuinely irreplaceable
• "With data" includes collection locality and specimen documentation — essential for a species whose distribution records have been chronically muddled by misidentification
• Dr. Gordon Hubbell provenance adds significant authentication and collectibility value
• Ideal for: Centrophorus genus collectors, deepwater Squaliformes specialists, conservation-focused collections, Atlantic and Indo-Pacific specimen enthusiasts, museum-quality natural history displays