So, I was looking to validate what type of shark I caught, and have settled that it is, in fact, what is called locally a "sandbar shark" or "brown shark"
The
sandbar shark (
Carcharhinus plumbeus) is a
species of
requiem shark, and part of the family
Carcharhinidae, native to the
Atlantic Ocean and the
Indo-Pacific. It is distinguishable by its very high first
dorsal fin and inter-dorsal ridge.
[2] It is not to be confused with its similarly named shark cousin, the
sand tiger shark,
Carcharius taurus.
Illustration of a sandbar shark.
The sandbar shark is also called the
thickskin shark or
brown shark. It is one of the biggest coastal sharks in the world, and is closely related to the
dusky shark, the
bignose shark, and the
bull shark. Its
dorsal fin is triangular and very high and it has very long
pectoral fins.
Sandbar sharks usually have heavy-set bodies and rounded snouts that
are shorter than the average shark's snout. Their upper teeth have
broadly uneven cusps with sharp edges. Its second dorsal fin and
anal fin
are close to the same height. Females reach sexual maturity around the
age of 13 with an average fork-length (tip of the nose to fork in the
tail) of 154.9 cm, while males tend to reach maturity around age 12 with
an average fork-length of 151.6 cm.
[3]
Females can grow to 2–2.5 m (6.6–8.2 ft), males up to 1.8 m (5.9 ft).
Its body color can vary from a bluish to a brownish grey to a bronze,
with a white or pale underside. Sandbar sharks swim alone or gather in
sex-segregated schools that vary in size.
The sandbar shark, true to its nickname, is commonly found over muddy or sandy bottoms in shallow coastal waters such as bays,
estuaries, harbors, or the mouths of rivers, but it also swims in deeper waters (200 m or more) as well as
intertidal zones. Sandbar sharks are found in tropical to temperate waters worldwide; in the western
Atlantic they range from
Massachusetts to
Brazil. Juveniles are common to abundant in the lower
Chesapeake Bay, and nursery grounds are found from
Delaware Bay to
South Carolina. Other nursery grounds include
Boncuk Bay in
Marmaris,
Muğla/
Turkey[4] and the
Florida Keys.
[3]
Sandbar shark caught in the Atlantic.
Natural predators are the
tiger sharks, and rarely great white sharks. The sandbar sharks prey on fish, rays, and crabs.
Sandbar sharks are
viviparous.
The embryos are supported in placental yolk sac inside the mother.
Females have been found to exhibit both biennial and triennial
reproductive cycles, ovulate in early summer, and give birth to an
average of 8 pups, which they carry for 1 year before giving birth.
[3]
Sandbar sharks have been disproportionately targeted by the U.S.
commercial shark fisheries in recent decades due to their high
fin-to-body weight ratio, and U.S. fishing regulation requiring
carcasses to be landed along with shark fins. In 2008, the
National Marine Fisheries Service banned all commercial landings of sandbar sharks based on a 2006 stock assessment by
SEDAR,
and sandbar sharks were listed as vulnerable, due to overfishing.
Currently, there are a small number of specially permitted vessels
fishing for sandbars sharks for the purpose of scientific research. All
vessels in the research fishery are required to carry an independent
researcher while targeting sandbars.
[3]
The longevity of the sandbar shark is typically 35–41 years.
[5]
In spite of their large size and similar appearance to other
dangerous sharks like Bull Sharks, there are very few, if any attacks
attributed to Sandbar Sharks and so they are considered not to be
dangerous to people. As a result, they are considered one of the safest
sharks to swim with and are popular sharks for aquariums.
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oh yeah, it's SHARK WEEK on discovery channel :)
