page_title: Horn shark
section_title: Distribution and habitat
hierarchical_section_title: Horn shark / Distribution and habitat
caption_attribution_description: Horn shark (Heterodontus francisci) off Santa Catalina, California, USA
context_page_description: The horn shark is a species of bullhead shark, in the family Heterodontidae. It is endemic to the coastal waters off the western coast of North America, from California to the Gulf of California. Young sharks are segregated spatially from the adults, with the former preferring deeper sandy flats and the latter preferring shallower rocky reefs or algal beds. A small species typically measuring 1 m in length, the horn shark can be recognized by a short, blunt head with ridges over its eyes, two high dorsal fins with large spines, and a brown or gray coloration with many small dark spots.
  Slow-moving, generally solitary predators, horn sharks hunt at night inside small home ranges and retreat to a favored shelter during the day. Their daily activity cycles are controlled by environmental light levels. Adult sharks prey mainly on hard-shelled molluscs, echinoderms, and crustaceans, which they crush between powerful jaws and molar-like teeth, while also feeding opportunistically on a wide variety of other invertebrates and small bony fishes. Juveniles prefer softer-bodied prey such as polychaete worms and sea anemones.
context_section_description: The horn shark inhabits the continental shelf of the eastern Pacific Ocean, occurring off the coasts of California and Baja California from Monterey Bay southward, and in the Gulf of California. Uncommon influxes of warm water northward may bring it as far as San Francisco Bay. There are unconfirmed reports of this species off Ecuador and Peru, which may be misidentifications of other species.
  For most of the year, horn sharks are most common at a depth of 2–11 m (6.6–36.1 ft). At the onset of winter, they migrate to water deeper than 30 m (98 ft). This species has been found in caves as deep as 200 m (660 ft). Juvenile horn sharks between 35–48 cm (1.15–1.57 ft) long prefer sandy flats with low vertical relief, in water 40–150 m (130–490 ft) deep. They often take advantage of large feeding pits excavated by the bat ray (Myliobatis californica) for shelter and food. As they mature, horn sharks shift into shallower water and their preferred habitat becomes structurally complex rocky reefs or algae beds. This strongly benthic species seldom ventures more than 2 m (6.6 ft) above the substrate.
  The relative abundances of the horn shark and the swellshark (Centroscyllim ventriosum), which shares the same habitat, are negatively correlated because horn sharks prefer temperatures warmer than 20 °C (68 °F) while swellsharks are more cold-tolerant. At Santa Catalina Island, a 20-year warming trend has resulted in an increase in the horn shark population and a decrease in the swellshark population. Horn sharks are less common than swellsharks in the northern Channel Islands, where the water is cooler.
caption: A horn shark off Santa Catalina, California.
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