The hidden angelshark ''(Squatina occulta)'' is a species of

angelshark The angelsharks are a group of sharks in the genus ''Squatina'' of the family Squatinidae. They commonly inhabit sandy seabeds close to in depth. Many species are now classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservat ...

that was named by

Carolus Maria Vooren Carolus may refer to: People * Carolus (name) * the medieval Latin form of the name Charles **Charlemagne (742–814) * King Charles XII of Sweden, who is sometimes referred to as "Carolus Rex" Scientific * ''Carolus'' (plant), a genus of flowe ...

and Kleber Grübel da Silva in 1994. It inhabits the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

coastline of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

from southern

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. Hidden angel sharks grow up to 124 cm in length and are

ovoviviparous Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a term used as a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparous and live-bearing viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develop insi ...

, meaning the

embryo An embryo is an initial stage of development of a multicellular organism. In organisms that reproduce sexually, embryonic development is the part of the life cycle that begins just after fertilization of the female egg cell by the male spe ...

s develop inside eggs that remain inside the mother's body until they are ready to hatch. The hidden angelshark differs from other species of angelshark due to the size of its neurocranial measurements. Its rostral region is considerably short compared to its counterparts. Its neurocraniam is its widest at the outer corners of its nasal capsules and post-orbital processes. The hidden angelshark's configuration is very similar to that of a ray, the one major difference is the shark's gills, which lie edgewise of the head. Carvalho, M. R., Gomes, U. L., & Caio Faro. (2010, December 22). Comparative neurocranial morphology of angelsharks from the south‐western Atlantic Ocean (Chondrichthyes, Elasmobranchii, Squatinidae): Implications for taxonomy and phylogeny. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1463-6395.2010.00495.x Although there are many speculations as to where this species resides, studies show they are found in Puerto Quequén, Necochea, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.

References

Estalles, Maria Lourdes, et al. “The Southernmost Range Limit for the Hidden Angelshark Squatina Occulta.” Marine Biodevirsity Records, Esatalles, 1 Aug. 2016, link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s41200-016-0066-x.pdf. hidden angelshark Fish of Uruguay Fish of the Western Atlantic hidden angelshark {{shark-stub