Centrophorus atromarginatus (dwarf gulper shark) by DOTkamina

Digital illustration of Centrophorus atromarginatus. The digital drawing is basically a tracing of another one I made by hand. I just felt like doing it digitally because I tried to do another one but the strokes came out weird. The drawing is based on the illustrations by Kim In Young and Shark References; and the photograph of a female specimen SL-87; BRT-I 0021 by Fernando et al. 2019.

You can find this image hosted on: Wikimedia Commons, Twitter, Tumblr, Threads, Pinterest, DeviantArt, Pixiv, Instagram, Piapro, Bluesky, Behance. The digital drawing process (speedpaint) is hosted here (slow version, no music, original with IbisPaint), on Instagram, Bluesky and TikTok.

The skecthes!:

Some facts about Centrophorus atromarginatus.

Attention. I wrote almost none of the following information. It's a combination of various pieces of information that weren't taken from Wikipedia. Sources at the end!

Description: A little-known deepwater dogfish found on the upper continental slopes to at least 450 m. Dorsal spines (total): 2; Anal spines: 0. Adults with tips of dorsal fins black, prominently marked from base of fins. Body shape: elongated. Often confused with Centrophorus granulosus. 

Biology: it most likely consume deep sea dwellers: bony fish, cephalopods (squids), crustaceans and jellyfish. 

Ventral view of Dwarf gulper shark's head (Source: Kim In Young).

Reproduction: Ovoviviparous, embryos feed solely on yolk. Distinct pairing with embrace. Gives birth to a single pup. 28-36 cm at birth.

Habitat: Marine; bathydemersal; depth range. Deep-water.

Specimen recorded in its habitat. (Source: JAMSTEC 1991).

Importance to humans: The gulper shark is fished with a variety of methods including bottom trawls, hook and line, or with pelagic trawls in the eastern Atlantic. Although sometimes caught as bycatch, some deepwater longline fisheries do target this species while operating in deepwater areas. Utilised for its meat, fins (low value) and liver oil (very high value, which contains squalene), mostly in Japan.

Size: Tipically 60-75 cm. Max length: 87 cm. 28-36 cm at birth. 

Depth: 183 - 450 m.

Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: Gulf of Aden, Japan, Taiwan, and northern Papua New Guinea.

IUCN status: Critically Endangered (CR) (A2bd); Date assessed: 01 September 2019.

References and sources:

• FishBase s.f. Centrophorus atromarginatus Garman, 1913. Dwarf gulper shark.
• JAMSTEC. 1991. KPM-NR 105787. Centrophorus atromarginatus Garman, 1913 [Squalidae]. FishPix. Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History, Odawara & National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo.
• Kim In Young. s.f. 드워프 걸퍼 샤크(Dwarf gulper shark)-Centrophorus atromarginatus (Garman) → Family 35. FISHILLUST.
• Shark References. 2025. Centrophorus atromarginatus Garman, 1913. Dwarf gulper shark.
• SharkSider. 2022. Dwarf Gulper Shark. 
• SharkWater. 2025. Dwarf Gulper Shark. Sharkwater Productions - The Truth Will Surface.