Broadnose Sevengill Shark

Notorynchus cepedianus

Broadnose Sevengill Shark

Notorynchus cepedianus

Other Common Names
Sevengill shark

Open Sea

Other Common Names

Sevengill shark

At the Aquarium

Open Sea

Appearance

While most sharks have five pairs of gill slits, a broadnose sevengill shark has seven pairs. Its back and sides are reddish brown to silverygray with many small black spots. Its underbelly is cream colored.

The broadnose sevengill shark can also be recognized by its wide head with a blunt nose. This shark only has one dorsal fin while most other sharks have two. The upper portion of the tail fin is much longer than the lower portion and is slightly notched near the tip.

Mature adults range in length from 6.3 to 9.7 feet. The largest reported length was 9.8 feet with a reported weight of 236 pounds.

Habitat

Temperate waters in shallow, primarily nearshore areas from the surface to 570 m.

Diet

Other sharks, bat rays, marine mammals, crabs and carrion.

Life History

Broadnose sevengill sharks are ovoviviparous. Females carry eggs internally with embryos feeding solely on the yolk. They are pregnant for 12 months before giving birth to live young. They reproduce every two years.

Litters range in size from 67 to 104 pups. At birth, pups are estimated to be 34 to 45 cm in total length. Bays and estuaries are important nursery grounds for pups.

Smaller individuals live in shallow waters while larger individuals move into deeper waters offshore and deep channels in bays. Broadnose sevengill sharks reach maturity at around 11 years.

Broadnose sevengill sharks can live up to 49 years.

IUCN Status

Vulnerable

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

The broadnose sevengill shark is an important coastal predator. In most areas of its range, the broadnose sevengill shark is displaced only by the white shark and orca as the top nearshore marine predator. White sharks are one of the few known predators of adult broadnose sevengill sharks.

During the 1930s and 40s, broadnose sevengill sharks were valued for their liver oil and were overfished in San Francisco Bay. Even after this fishery collapsed, the popularity of the movie Jaws renewed interest in shark fishing. Fishing competitions and commercial sport fishing depleted populations of broadnose sevengill sharks in San Francisco Bay. In Australia and the United States broadnose sevengill sharks are targeted by sport fishermen. Some commercial fisheries catch these sharks as bycatch and sell them for human consumption. Chinese fisheries target broadnose sevengill sharks for leather and liver oil.

Pacific and South Atlantic oceans. In the eastern Pacific Ocean, they are found from southeastern Alaska to southern Baja California, Mexico and from Colombia to Chile.

Broadnose sevengill sharks are found along the Oregon coast.

While broadnose sevengill sharks are classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN globally, Pacific Northwest populations are considered stable.

The boardnose sevengill shark has a lower jaw full of comb shaped teeth and an upper jaw with jagged teeth. As the shark bites its prey, it anchors its jaw with the lower teeth and is able to saw off pieces of flesh with its upper teeth. Broadnose sevengill sharks may become aggressive if they feel threatened or are provoked, but open-water incidents are rare. There has not been a documented attack on a human along the Oregon Coast.

Citations & Other Resources

Finucci, B., A. Barnett, J. Cheok, C.F. Cotton, D.W. Kulka, F.C. Neat, N. Pacoureau, C.L. Rigby, S. Tanaka, and T.I. Walker. 2020. Notorynchus cepedianus (errata version published in 2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife. N.d. Broadnose Sevengill Shark. Marine Species Portal. https://marinespecies.wildlife.ca.gov/broadnose-sevengill-shark/false/
Monterey Bay Aquarium. N.d. Broadnose sevengill shark. https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/animals-a-to-z/broadnose-sevengill-shark
Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. N.d. Broadnose sevengill shark. https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/species/notorynchus-cepedianus#regs-seasons

Broadnose Sevengill Shark

Broadnose Sevengill Shark

Other Common Names

At the Aquarium

Appearance

Habitat

Diet

Life History

IUCN Status

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

Citations & Other Resources

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