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Carcharhinus sorrah (Spottail shark)
(Valenciennes, in Müller & Henle, 1839)
Life
> Eukaryotes >
Opisthokonta
> Metazoa (animals) >
Bilateria >
Deuterostomia > Chordata >
Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates) > Gnathostomata (jawed
vertebrates) >.Chondrichthyes >
Elasmobranchii > Galeomorphii >
Carcharhiniformes >
Carcharhinidae
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Carcharhinus sorrah (Spottail shark) [Illustration
by Ann Hecht ©] |
Identification
A small, spindle-shaped grey shark with a long
rounded snout, large circular eyes, oblique-cusped serrated teeth,
an interdorsal ridge, a very low, elongated 2nd dorsal fin, black
tips on the pectoral and 2nd dorsal fins, and a conspicuous black
spot on the lower caudal lobe. White below, 1st dorsal fin with a
black edge.
Size
To 1.6 m.
Range
East coast, Natal and Mozambique;
Indian Ocean and west-central Pacific.
Habitat
Inshore and coastal,
often around coral reefs, down to about 73 m.
Biology
Rare south of
Mozambique. Bears 3 to 6 young. Eats bony fishes and octopi. Human Impact Occasionally taken by linefishermen.
Text by Leonard J.V. Compagno, David A. Ebert
and Malcolm J. Smale
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