Common smooth-hound on its underneath. It is often confused with the starry smooth-hound which has white spots on its back. The starry smooth-hound can often have faded spots which leads to misidentification. Another shark it is often confused with is the tope shark although the common smooth hound has a larger second dorsal fin. Due to the similarities between the common smooth-hound and other sharks, misidentification occurred for a long time. The common smooth-hound has two dorsal fins, an anal fin, a pair of pectoral fins, a pair of pelvic fins and a heterocercal tail. All of these fins help stabilise the
Slender smooth-hound may also receive secondary nutrition in the form of histotroph ("uterine milk") produced by the mother. When the embryo is long, it emerges from the capsule, which by that time has become translucent and gelatinous. Embryos long have well-developed external gill filaments. The external yolk sac is entirely absorbed when the embryo is long and close to being born. Males and females reach sexual maturity at approximately long. Harmless to humans and of no economic value, the slender smooth-hound is occasionally caught incidentally in bottom trawls and on bottom longlines. Much of its northern range lies in little-fished waters, and