Humpback smooth-hound Humpback smooth-hound The humpback smooth-hound ("Mustelus whitneyi") is a houndshark of the family Triakidae. It is found on the continental shelves of the tropical southeast Pacific, from Peru to southern Chile, between latitudes 3° S and 54° S, at depths between . Its conservation status is considered to be "vulnerable" by the IUCN. The humpback smooth-hound is a small shark growing to a length of up to . It has a sturdy body with a moderately long, broad, sharply angled snout and large eyes, set widely apart. The mouth is fairly long and the upper lip furrows are longer than
Slender smooth-hound about one-sixth of the total length; the lower caudal fin lobe is indistinct, while the upper lobe has a strong ventral notch near the tip. The skin is densely covered by small, overlapping dermal denticles. The crown of each denticle is mounted on a short stalk and bears three horizontal ridges leading to marginal blade-like teeth, with the central tooth particularly long. This species is plain brownish-gray above and lighter below. It grows up to long and in weight, with females reaching a slightly larger size than males. The slender smooth-hound is likely a schooling species. It preys on a