 Recent research, using meristic, morphological and molecular data led to the resurrection of Pacific Spiny Dogfish as a separate species.The American Fisheries Society recommends the common name "Pacific Spiny Dogfish" for "Squalus suckleyi" over alternatives such as "Spotted Spiny Dogfish" and "North Pacific Spiny Dogfish" and "Spiny Dogfish" for "Squalus acanthias".The maximum length of a Pacific dogfish can be , and they can live up to 100 years.