capture prey by suction. This species is aplacental viviparous; females have two functional ovaries and two uteruses. Recorded litter sizes have ranged from 15 to 52, and newly born pups have been estimated to measure long. The dermal denticles in near-term embryos are underdeveloped, appearing as minute spines located within open pits in the skin. The size at sexual maturity is uncertain; the smallest known mature males and females are and long respectively. Human interactions The bramble shark is not known to pose a danger to humans. It is caught incidentally by commercial fisheries in bottom trawls and on fishing line, as well as by sport anglers. In the eastern Atlantic, this species is processed into fishmeal but has little commercial significance. Its liver oil is highly valued in South Africa as medicine, whereas in India the oil is considered poor and is used to coat canoes to discourage woodboring beetles. Historical accounts suggest that bramble shark numbers in the northeastern Atlantic have fallen markedly since the 18th and 19th centuries, such as that it is now extremely rare off northern Europe and in the Mediterranean. This decline has been attributed to fishing pressure, to which this species may be highly vulnerable as large, deep-sea sharks generally have slow growth rates and long lifespans. Regarding the species as a whole, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) assesses it as Endangered. In June 2018 the New Zealand Department of Conservation classified the bramble shark as "At Risk – Naturally Uncommon" with the qualifiers "Data Poor" and "Secure Overseas" under the New Zealand Threat Classification System. References External links "Echinorhinus brucus Bramble shark" at FishBase "Biological Profiles: Bramble Shark" at Florida Museum of Natural History bramble shark Fish of Japan Fauna of Kiribati Fish of the Atlantic Ocean Fish of the Mediterranean Sea Fish of Europe Fish of New Zealand Fauna of South India Gulf of Oman Marine fauna of Southern Africa Marine fish of Southern Australia Taxa named by Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre bramble shark