SHORT DESCRIPTION
Body stout from head until pelvic fins, then becoming slender. Large head, with short and rounded snout. Small nostrils. Eyes of moderate size; slit-like spiracles located almost one-half orbit diameter behind eyes. First raw of teeth with 10-11 teeth on each side of the jaw. Usually 18-26/18-25 rows of teeth. Teeth similarly shaped in upper and lower jaws, with deep notches and serration, with oblique bent cusps. Interdorsal ridge present. Precaudal pit present at the dorsal base of the caudal fin. Prominent dermal keel on each side of the lower caudal peduncle. First dorsal fin triangular; its midbase closer to pectoral fin than to pelvic fin. Small second dorsal fin, its origin in front of anal fin origin. Upper lobe of caudal fin slender and pointed. Lower lobe of caudal fin rounded in juvenile, becoming pointed in adult. Pectoral fin broad and falcate, its origin under the third to fourth gill slit.
color : brown-gray with distinct dark spots and bars on dorsal surface in young specimens. These unique marks fade in adults. Ventral surface light gray to white. size : adult up to 5.5 m (max. 8 m).
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DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
Other Carcharhinidae: lack of spiracles; upper jaw labial has short furrows and does not reach the front of eye. No lateral keel on caudal peduncle.
Lamnidae: pointed snout, no dark marks on body.
Squalidae: no anal fin.
Hexanchidae: single dorsal fin; six or seven gill slits.
Triakidae: no precaudal pit. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY
Ovoviviparous. Number of young is 10-80 per litter, depending on the size of the female. Gestation period is close to 1 year. Newborn size is 50-70 cm. Age of maturation is 4-6 years, when size reaches 230-350 cm. Considered to be the most generalist of all sharks in its trophic requirements. Its diet includes invertebrates, fish, birds, marine mammals and a great variety of food of anthropogenic origin.
habitat : inhabits a wide range of habitats, from shallow waters to depths of 150 m. Often enters rivers and estuaries, also swims offshore as a pelagic species. Active during day and night. |
