bluntnose sixgill shark
Hexanchus griseus (Bonnaterre, 1788)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The bluntnose sixgill shark (Hexanchus griseus), often simply called the cow shark, is the largest hexanchoid shark, growing to 18 ft (5.5 m) in length. It is found in tropical and temperate waters worldwide. Its diet varies widely depending on the habitat.
The bluntnose sixgill is a species of sixgill shark, of genus Hexanchus, which also consists of two other species: the bigeye sixgill shark (Hexanchus nakamurai) and the Atlantic sixgill shark (Hexanchus vitulus). By analyzing their base pairs of mitochondrial genes COI and ND2, these species can be easily distinguished.
Wikipedia contributors, Bluntnose sixgill shark; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:39:03.385030+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Hexanchus griseus (Bonnaterre, 1788)
- Name authority
- (Bonnaterre, 1788)
- Common name
- bluntnose sixgill shark
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Hexanchiformes
- Family
- Hexanchidae
- Genus
- Hexanchus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumChondrichthyes
- classElasmobranchii
- subclassNeoselachii
- infraclassSelachii
- superorderSqualomorphi
- orderHexanchiformes Compagno, 1973
- familyHexanchidae Gray, 1851
- genusHexanchus Rafinesque, 1810
- speciesHexanchus griseus (Bonnaterre, 1788)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Hexanchus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| sixgill sharkHexanchus vitulus Springer & Waller, 1969 | HexanchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| bigeye sixgill sharkHexanchus nakamurai Teng, 1962 | HexanchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Hexanchus corinus Jordan & Gilbert, 1880 Jordan & Gilbert, 1880 | synonym |
| Monopterinus griseus (Bonnaterre, 1788) (Bonnaterre, 1788) | synonym |
| Notidanus vulgaris Pérez Canto, 1886 Pérez Canto, 1886 | synonym |
| Hexanchus corinum Jordan & Gilbert, 1880 Jordan & Gilbert, 1880 | synonym |
| Notidanus griseus (Bonnaterre, 1788) (Bonnaterre, 1788) | synonym |
| Squalus griseus Bonnaterre, 1788 Bonnaterre, 1788 | synonym |
| Squalus vacca Bloch & Schneider, 1801 Bloch & Schneider, 1801 | synonym |
| Notidanus monge Risso, 1827 Risso, 1827 | synonym |
| Hexanchus griseus australis de Buen, 1960 de Buen, 1960 | synonym |
| Monopterhinus griseus (Bonnaterre, 1788) (Bonnaterre, 1788) | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=105833 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3LGK8. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.