dogfish

Everyday

1. A kind of small shark found in seas around Britain, Europe, North America and elsewhere, often with a spotted skin. tree →
2. A name for some other fish, such as the bowfin of North American lakes. tree →

In the lessons

Used in science and nature lessons about the sea: the dogfish is a real shark, though small and harmless to people. It lays eggs in cases called «mermaid's purses» that wash up on beaches. In fish shops in Britain it is sometimes sold as «rock salmon» or «huss».

Examples

• We saw a dogfish at the sea-life centre. tree →
• A dogfish is a small kind of shark. tree →
• The fisherman caught a spotted dogfish. tree →
• Dogfish eggs come in cases called mermaid's purses. tree →
• On the beach we found an empty dogfish egg case. tree →
• The dogfish swam slowly along the bottom of the tank. tree →
• In biology we looked at the skin of a dogfish. tree →
• Dogfish have rough skin like sandpaper. tree →

Note

Plural usually «dogfish» (same as singular), sometimes «dogfishes» for kinds. It is a fish, not a dog; the name may come from the way they hunt in packs.