Sandbar Shark
Common Names: Thickskin Shark, Brown Shark.
Scientific Name: Carcharhinus plumbeus
Size: Up to 2.5m
Found in: Inshore and Offshore waters in subtropical seas including East and West Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Indo-Pacific regions.
Population Status: Vulnerable to extinction (IUCN, 2012)
Tooth Shape:
Teeth are a triangular in shape with finely serrated edges, and are slightly hooked towards the end.Sandbar sharks feed on benthic bony fishes, cephalopods and smaller sharks and rays. They also feed on crustaceans and gastropods.
Reproduction:
Viviparous - young are nourished by a yolk sac, which turns into a placenta once depleted. Young are born live and measure around 55-70cm.Litters range in size from 6-13 pups. Gestation varies geographically from 8-9 months in Western Atlantic to around 12 months in SE Africa.
Interesting Facts:
Sandbar Sharks are easily identified by their stocky body and distinctively large first dorsal fin.
Sandbar Sharks are considered harmless to humans.
Sadly they are threatened by commercial fishing and overfishing. In 1993, a management plan was introduced in the USA to prevent further population decline. They are now protected in US and Atlantic waters by being labelled a “prohibited species” - whereby they must be released immediately if caught and with minimal injury.
Population biomass in Western Australia has decreased to around 35% of levels recorded before commercial shark fisheries were introduced. A management has been put in place to prevent further declines in this region.
Teeth are a triangular in shape with finely serrated edges, and are slightly hooked towards the end.Sandbar sharks feed on benthic bony fishes, cephalopods and smaller sharks and rays. They also feed on crustaceans and gastropods.
Reproduction:
Viviparous - young are nourished by a yolk sac, which turns into a placenta once depleted. Young are born live and measure around 55-70cm.Litters range in size from 6-13 pups. Gestation varies geographically from 8-9 months in Western Atlantic to around 12 months in SE Africa.
Interesting Facts:
Sandbar Sharks are easily identified by their stocky body and distinctively large first dorsal fin.
Sandbar Sharks are considered harmless to humans.
Sadly they are threatened by commercial fishing and overfishing. In 1993, a management plan was introduced in the USA to prevent further population decline. They are now protected in US and Atlantic waters by being labelled a “prohibited species” - whereby they must be released immediately if caught and with minimal injury.
Population biomass in Western Australia has decreased to around 35% of levels recorded before commercial shark fisheries were introduced. A management has been put in place to prevent further declines in this region.
