The family Echinorhinidae, or common name Bramble sharks are large, sluggish, deepwater sharks. They are wide-ranging, in cold-temperate to tropical seas. Circumglobally distribution on continental and insular shelves and slopes. Sometimes they enter shallow water but usually on or near the bottom, so they can be found from 36 to 2,953 feet.

These sharks are large, ranging from 9-13 feet on average. They are short-nosed, stout cylindrical sharks. They have two small spineless dorsal fins, close together, towards posterior part of body and originating behind pelvic fin origin. There is no anal fin and subterminal notch on the caudal fin. The skin covered with coarse dermal denticles or enlarged thorns. There are mall spiracles are positioned just behind the eyes. Echinorhinidae have very short labial furrows and teeth on both jaws similar, with a central oblique bladelike cusp with up to 3 cusplets on each side (absent in juveniles). They feed on a variety of benthic and neritic fishes, including other sharks, ling, hake, flatfishes, lingcod, lizardfishes, rockfishes, topsmelt, herring, and elephantfishes, as well as crabs, octopuses and squids. They have a large mouth and pharynx and are thought to suck in their prey by suddenly expanding their mouths and pharynxes when in range. They are ovoviviparous and lack a yolk sac placenta.