Found on the continental shelves from the intertidal region to at least 200 m depth. Feeds on crabs, ghost shrimps, mantis shrimps, isopods, squids, polychaete worms, tunicates and small bony fishes. Viviparous (with a yolk-sac placenta), with 3 to 5 young in a litter. Size at birth between 19 and 21 cm. Readily kept in captivity. Utilized for human consumption. Marketed fresh, smoked and frozen (Ref. 9987).