Plunket Shark Jaw with Data ex Dr. Gordon Hubbell

NO INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING

Plunket Shark Jaw with Data (Scymnodon plunketi/Centroscymnus plunketi)

Named for Lord Plunket, Governor of New Zealand in the early 20th century, this is a shark with a title — and a jaw that lives up to it. Stocky, deep-dwelling, and seldom documented in private collections, the Plunket Shark occupies the deep continental slopes off New Zealand and southeastern Australia where few specimens are ever formally recorded. The jaw in this listing comes from Dr. Gordon Hubbell's collection, acquired with the same precision and intent that defines every piece that passed through his hands.

Species & Classification

• Scientific Name: Scymnodon plunketi (Waite, 1910) — also referenced as Centroscymnus plunketi
• Common Names: Plunket Shark, Plunket's Shark, Plunket's Dogfish, Lord Plunket's Shark, Waite's Deepsea Dogfish
• Family: Somniosidae (Sleeper Sharks)
• Order: Squaliformes
• Etymology: The holotype was collected off Kaikoura, New Zealand at a depth of 220 meters in 1910; plunketihonors Lord Plunket, Governor-General of New Zealand at the time of the species' description Shark-References

Biology & Physical Characteristics

• Dark grey-brown in color; dorsal fins with very small fin spines; very short snout; lanceolate upper teeth and blade-like lower teeth with short, oblique cusps; stocky body that tapers abruptly from the pectoral region; moderately large dermal denticles with triple cusps and ridges in adults and subadults Shark-References
• Grey to brown; two dorsal fins both preceded by a spine; second dorsal fin slightly larger than the first; pectoral fins very broad; teeth at the symphysis of the upper jaw noticeably smaller than those in the fourth to eighth rows on either side The Australian Museum
• Maximum size ranges from 129–170 cm; males mature at approximately 131 cm, females at approximately 170 cm; size at birth 32–36 cm Sharkwater
• Depth range 219–1,550 m; usually found at 550–732 m; bathydemersal FishBase

Habitat & Distribution

• Found around southeastern Australia and New Zealand, at depths of 220–1,550 m over continental shelves Wikipedia
• Occurs mainly around central and southern New Zealand; a trend exists for fish size to increase with depth, with females occurring in deeper waters Sharkwater
• A grey to brown deepwater shark that occurs throughout the south-western Pacific; one specimen recorded during the NORFANZ expedition at approximately 900 m on the Western Norfolk Ridge, Tasman Sea The Australian Museum

Diet & Behavior

• Feeds on cephalopods and bony fishes Sharkwater
• Occurs in large schools near the bottom that are segregated according to size and sex Sharkwater — an unusual social structure for a deepwater squaloid
• The schooling and depth-segregated behavior makes this species particularly vulnerable to localized depletion when trawl fishing intersects aggregation areas

Reproduction

• Ovoviviparous with up to 36 pups in a litter; exhibits distinct pairing with embrace Sharkwater — one of the largest litter sizes recorded for any sleeper shark
• Size at birth ranges between 32–36 cm Sharkwater
• Late maturity, especially in females, makes the species slow to recover from population pressure

Conservation Status

• No conservation measures currently in place for this species Sharkwater
• Usually caught as bycatch in deepwater trawl and line fisheries; aggregating behavior makes it susceptible to localized depletion Sharkwater
• Used for fishmeal and liver oil Sharkwater where retained

Misc. & Collector Facts

• The Plunket Shark's taxonomic journey — from Scymnodon to Centroscymnus and back — mirrors the broader instability of sleeper shark systematics; a jaw labeled with either name reflects a specific chapter in that ongoing scientific conversation
• Scymnodon currently contains four recognized species, placing plunketi in a small and scientifically significant genus within Somniosidae Wikipedia
• The combination of sex-segregated schooling behavior, extreme depth range to 1,550 m, and restricted southwestern Pacific distribution makes confirmed specimens with locality data exceptionally valuable
• "With data" includes collection locality and specimen documentation — critical for a species whose depth-segregated populations span a wide range and whose taxonomy remains under periodic revision
• Dr. Gordon Hubbell provenance adds significant authentication and collectibility value
• Ideal for: Somniosidae and Squaliformes collectors, New Zealand and southwestern Pacific specimen enthusiasts, sleeper shark jaw specialists, museum-quality natural history displays