Common smooth-hound shark but in males, the pelvic fins are modified to form claspers. Like other smooth hounds, the common smooth hound will aggregate in large numbers, like a pack of dogs. This is why they are called hounds. Common smooth-hound The common smooth-hound ("Mustelus mustelus") is a houndshark of the family Triakidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from the British Isles to South Africa, and in the Mediterranean Sea, Madeira, and the Canary Islands at depths ranging from 5 m to 625 m (although they usually stay at depths between 5-50m). While they can grow to 200 cm,
Istrian Shorthaired Hound Writers cited as having mentioned the type include Bishop of Đakovo Petar Bakić in 1719 and the veterinarian Franjo Bertić, also of Đakovo, in 1859. The old type is seen in the Posavaz Hound and the Istrian Coarse-haired Hound, as well. The smooth- and coarse-haired hounds were used for hunting in Istria (see the article on Motovun for photographs of the sort of mountainous terrain they were bred to hunt) while the Posavaz Hound is from the Sava Valley. The Istrian hounds are thought to be the oldest of the hound breeds in the Balkan region. A stud book was