Common name of Apristurus canutus
 
Common name Hoary cat shark
Language English
Type Vernacular
Official trade name No
Rank 3 - (Other common name)
Country South Africa
Locality
Ref. Compagno, L.J.V., 1999
Life stage juveniles and adults
Sex females and males
Core primary lexeme
1st modifier non-fish animal
2nd modifier color pattern(s)
Remarks 'shark', of obscure origins but appears to have been introduced to English in the late 1560s by members of Sir John Hawkins' expedition (a ballad of 1569 recorded 'There is no proper name for [the fish] that I know, but that certain men of Captain Hawkins' doth call it a shark'), but it is not known where they got it from. A resemblance to Austrian dialect 'schirk', i.e., sturgeon has been noted (p. 471 in Ref. 11979); 'hoary', i.e., gray or white with age (Ref. 11979).
 
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cfm script by eagbayani, 11.10.04 ,  php script by rolavides, 25/03/08 ,  last modified by sortiz, 06/27/17