Sandbar shark

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Sandbar shark

The sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus, is a species of requiem shark

Requiem shark

The requiem sharks refer to all members of the Carcharhinidae family that includes a family of migratory, live-bearing sharks of warm seas, sometimes also found in brackish or fresh water, such as the tiger shark, blue shark, bull shark, and milk shark....
, family Carcharhinidae, native to the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres . It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface....
and the Indo-Pacific

Indo-Pacific

The Indo-Pacific is a biogeography region of the earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia....
. It is distinguishable by its very high first dorsal fin

Dorsal fin

A wikt:dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of some fish, whales, dolphins, and porpoises, as well as the ichthyosaurs. Its main purpose is to stabilize the animal against rolling and assist in sudden turns....
.

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

Dusky shark

The dusky shark, Carcharhinus obscurus, is one of the larger species of shark, reaching 350 kg. The dusky shark is also known as the black whaler, and dusky whaler....
, the bignose shark

Bignose shark

The bignose shark or Knopp's shark, Carcharhinus altimus, is a species of requiem shark, family Carcharhinidae, found worldwide between the latitudes of 40th parallel north and 34th parallel south....
, and the bull shark

Bull shark

The bull shark, Carcharhinus leucas, also known as the bull whaler, Zambezi shark or unofficially known as Zambi in Africa and Nicaragua shark in Nicaragua, is a shark common worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in rivers....
. Its dorsal fin

Dorsal fin

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The sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus, is a species of requiem shark

Requiem shark

Atlantic Ocean

Indo-Pacific

Dorsal fin

A wikt:dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of some fish, whales, dolphins, and porpoises, as well as the ichthyosaurs. Its main purpose is to stabilize the animal against rolling and assist in sudden turns....
.

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

Dusky shark

Bignose shark

Bull shark

Dorsal fin

A wikt:dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of some fish, whales, dolphins, and porpoises, as well as the ichthyosaurs. Its main purpose is to stabilize the animal against rolling and assist in sudden turns....
is triangular and very high, and weighs as much as 18% of the shark's whole body. 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 can grow to 2/2.5 m, males up to 1.8 m. 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. They are most active at night, at dawn, and at dusk. It is one of the species of Shark

Shark

Sharks are a type of fish with a full Cartilage skeleton and a highly Streamlines, streaklines and pathlinesd body. They respire with the use of five to seven gill slits....
that may have been responsible for the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916

Jersey Shore Shark Attacks of 1916

The Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916 were a series of shark attacks along the coast of New Jersey between July 1 and July 12, 1916, in which four people were killed and one injured....

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

Atlantic Ocean

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
to Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
. Juveniles are common to abundant in the lower Chesapeake Bay

Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia....
, which is probably one of the most important nursery grounds on the United States

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
east coast for this species.

The sandbar shark's main predator is man. Natural predators are the tiger shark

Tiger shark

The Tiger Shark, Galeocerdo cuvier, the second largest predatory shark is the only member of the genus Galeocerdo. Mature sharks average 3.25 to 4.25 metre long and weigh 385 to 909 kilogram ....
s, and rarely by great white sharks. The sandbar sharks prey on fish, rays, and other bottom dwelling animals.

Sandbar sharks are viviparous. The embryos are supported in placental yolk sac inside the mother. The female reproduces every two years. They give birth to 8 to 10 young. They carry the young for 1 year before birth.

Sandbar shark

See also