Distinguishing Characteristics
- Body slender with long gill slits
- Back is gray-blue, fading to a white belly
- Teeth are finely pointed and smooth, similar in both jaws
- Fins are unmarked (no spots, blotches or black edges or tips)
- No interdorsal ridge
Similar Species: Blacktip shark, C. limbatus (has black tips on fins); spinner shark, C. brevipinna (has black tips on fins); and Atlantic sharpnose shark, R. terraenovae (spots on side and long upper labial furrows)
Size/Age
Maximum length about 5-6 feet. Matures at approximately 4-6 years of age (about 4 feet) and is estimated to live 14+ years.
Habitat
Frequents coastal waters, bays and estuarine waters. Commonly seen over mud and sand flats during summer months and moves into deeper coastal waters during the colder months.
Feeding
Known to form schools to hunt small fishes (menhaden, mullet, and mackerel) and various invertebrates (squid and crustaceans).
Reproduction
After approximately 1 year of gestation, females give birth to live young in shallow bays and coastal lagoons. Broods contain 1-6 pups. Size at birth about 2 feet. Juveniles are found in shallow waters near barrier islands and beaches.
Additional Information
Caught as bycatch, but is considered to have little overall economic importance to the commercial shark fishery. This shark poses little threat to humans and has never been reported in a shark bite case.
Image Credit: © Diane Rome Peebles