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Oman bullhead shark
The Oman bullhead shark, Heterodontus omanensis, is a bullhead shark of the family Heterodontidae. It is found in the tropical western Indian Ocean around central Oman, from the surface to a depth of 72 m on the continental shelf. This species can reach a maximum length of 61 cm, but on average, reaches 56 cm. This shark was described in 2005, making it one of the most recently described of its genus. It is highly possible that the Oman bullhead shark is accidentally caught as by-catch, putting the species at risk. More research is needed to report on the biology and conservation status of this shark.
References
Bullhead shark
The Bullhead sharks are a small order (Heterodontiformes) of basal modern sharks (Neoselachii). There are nine living species in a single genus, Heterodontus, in the family Heterodontidae. All are relatively small, with the largest species being just 150 centimetres (59 in) in adult length. They are bottom feeders in tropical and subtropical waters.
The Heterodontiforms appear in the fossil record in the Early Jurassic, well before any of the other Galeomorphii, a group that includes all modern sharks except the dogfish and its relatives. However, they have never been common, and it is likely that their origin lies even further back.
Description
The Bullhead Sharks are morphologically rather distinctive. The mouth is located entirely anterior to the orbits. Labial cartilages are found in the most anterior part of the mouth. Nasoral grooves are present, connecting the external nares to the mouth. The nasal capsules are "trumpet-shaped" and well-separated from orbits. Circumnarial skin folds are present; but the rostral process of the neurocranium (braincase) is absent, although a precerebral fossa is present. Finally, the braincase bears a supraorbital crest.
Oman
Coordinates: 21°N 57°E / 21°N 57°E
Oman (
i/oʊˈmɑːn/ oh-MAAN; Arabic: عمان ʻUmān pronounced [ˈuːmaːn]), officially the Sultanate of Oman (Arabic: سلطنة عُمان Salṭanat ʻUmān), is an Arab country in the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Holding a strategically important position at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the nation is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest, and shares marine borders with Iran and Pakistan. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the southeast and the Gulf of Oman on the northeast. The Madha and Musandam exclaves are surrounded by the UAE on their land borders, with the Strait of Hormuz (which it shares with Iran) and Gulf of Oman forming Musandam's coastal boundaries.
From the late 17th century, the Omani Sultanate was a powerful empire, vying with Portugal and Britain for influence in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. At its peak in the 19th century, Omani influence or control extended across the Strait of Hormuz to modern-day Iran and Pakistan, and as far south as Zanzibar (today part of Tanzania, also former capital). As its power declined in the 20th century, the sultanate came under the influence of the United Kingdom. Historically, Muscat was the principal trading port of the Persian Gulf region. Muscat was also among the most important trading ports of the Indian Ocean. Oman's official religion is Islam.
Oman (disambiguation)
Oman may refer to:
Places
- Muscat and Oman, predecessor sultanate (1820-1970)
- Oman proper, historical region of, and previous imamate within, modern Oman
People
Other
Oman ypsilon
Oman ypsilon, the Oman blenny, is a species of combtooth blenny found in the western Indian ocean, around Oman. This fish reaches a length of 4 centimetres (1.6 in) TL. It is the only known species in its genus.
