back to field guide main page

Field guide to marine inhabitants - Fishes

Family: Carcharhinidae

Printable version [PDF]


Photo Courtesy of Chad MacFie

Sandbar Shark
Prepared by Jessica K. Tokarz

Carcharhinus plumbeus 
.
Range: The Sandbar Shark is found in tropical to temperate waters worldwide, ranging from Massachusetts to Brazil in the western Atlantic. As its name suggests, the Sandbar Shark is commonly found over muddy or sandy bottoms in shallow coastal  waters such as bays, estuaries, harbors, or in mouths of rivers. It is also occasionally present within deeper water of 656ft (200m) or more as well as inter tidal zones.

Similar Species: Sandbar Shark is very similar in appearance to that of the Dusky Shark (Carcharhinus obscurus). However, the first dorsal fin of the Dusky Shark is smaller and more posterior than the first dorsal fin of the Sandbar Shark.


Dusky Shark Carcharhinus obscurus
 

Identification: This heavy-set shark exhibits a bluish to brownish grey to bronze body with a pale to white underside. Its triangular dorsal fin extends high above the body often making up 18% of the shark’s entire weight. The snout of the Sandbar Shark is characteristically short and rounded. Males and females can reach lengths of 6ft (1.8m) and 8ft (2.5m), respectively.

Note: Active mainly at dusk, night, and dawn, the Sandbar Shark preys on finfish, rays, bottom dwelling animals, seabirds, and turtles. They are considered harmless to humans. Because the Sandbar Shark is slow to mature and has a low reproductive rate, it is particularly vulnerable to threats such as commercial hunting and subsequent overfishing.

back to field guide main page