Sandbar Shark

Carcharhinus plumbeus

FAMILY: Carcharhinidae

ALSO KNOWN AS: Brown shark

CONSERVATION STATUS: Endangered

RANGE: Found in tropical and warm temperate waters worldwide

LENGTH: Up to 250 cm TL; born approximately 40 to 75 cm TL

WEIGHT: 63.5 kg (140 lbs)

Illustration ©Marc Dando

Photograph ©Wix Stock

Overview

RANGE: Its range extends from the northeastern United States down to Brazil in the western Atlantic, and from the Canary Islands to South Africa in the eastern Atlantic. In the Indo-Pacific region, it can be found from the Red Sea and East Africa to northern Australia and the Solomon Islands

HABITAT: Most often found close to the seafloor in tropical and warm-temperate waters. Can be found at depths between 1 and nearly 300 m but is most common at depths ranging from 20 to 55 m. Common in bays, especially juveniles and females present to give birth. In the Western North Atlantic, the species is rarely seen as far north as Cape Cod but becomes more common around the waters of New York.

Map ©IUCN

IDENTIFICATION: A stout body with a snout shorter than the width of the mouth and a large dorsal fin that originates over the middle of the pectoral fins. In adults, the height of dorsal fin is equal to or greater than twice the length of the snout. A prominent ridge runs on the back between the first and second dorsal fins. The dorsal side of the shark is grey to grey-brown fading to white on the underside

INTERESTING FACTS: Was once abundant on the east coast of North America. Fishery for the species peaked in late 1980s, and by the 90s, the population was severely depleted. Diet includes small fishes and sharks as well as invertebrates such as octopods, squid, and crabs. The blue crab is a dietary staple of juvenile sandbar sharks. Pregnant females will travel northward towards the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays to give birth and have been reported entering Great South Bay, Long Island in midsummer. After giving birth, females venture southward to winter off Georgia and the Carolinas.

IUCN CONSERVATION STATUS: Endangered.

This is a PROHIBITED species and must be released with minimal injury to the shark.

Citation: IUCN

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