Australian grey smooth-hound
The Australian grey smooth-hound or also known as the grey gummy shark (Latin Mustelus ravidus, meaning ‘greyish weasel’) is a species of houndshark classified under the large family Triakidae. It is one of the twenty-eight species belonging to the genus Mustelus, which are often small in length. While members of the genus Mustelus may be found globally in tropical and temperate waters, the grey gummy shark in particular is native to the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean waters surrounding Australia and is particularly widespread in deep coastal waters. The grey gummy shark is known to be a viviparous species and gives birth to live young. With little data available, it is regarded to have a relatively stable population and possesses little threat to humans. Taxonomy Etymology The grey gummy shark's scientific name, Mustelus ravidus, is derived from the Latin words for weasel (mustela) and grey, respectively. Hence, the literal translation of Mustelus ravidus is ‘greyish weasel’. Mustelus is a reference to how sharks were addressed in ancient times as weasels or mustela. However, this is to be distinguished from the genus Mustela which is scientifically used for weasels. On the other hand, ravidus denotes the grey gummy shark's dorsal colour.