Sandbar shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus)

Scientific name: Carcharhinus plumbeus Nardo, 1827

Sandbar shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus)

The Sandbar shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus) is a brackish-water fish of the family Carcharhinidae. In the aquarium it needs water at 23–27°C (73–81°F).

Sandbar shark care at a glance

Temperature
23–27°C (73–81°F)

Biology

Found inshore and offshore, on continental and insular shelves and adjacent deep water. Common at bays, river mouths and in harbors; avoids sandy beaches and the surf zone, coral reefs and rough bottom, and surface waters. Coastal-pelagic, but usually bottom associated at 1-280 m. Sometimes in oceanic waters. Known to make extended seasonal migrations in some parts of its range. Feeds mainly on bony fishes, also small sharks, cephalopods, and shrimps, rays and gastropods. Viviparous. Sexual dimorphism is evident in thickness of skin layer of maturing and adult females. Populations are segregated by age. Young readily kept in aquaria. Utilized for human consumption, for leather and oil. Marketed fresh, smoked, dried-salted a

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Carcharhinus plumbeus
Family
Carcharhinidae (Requiem sharks)
Order
Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks)
Class
Elasmobranchii (Sharks and Rays)
Maximum length
250
Common length
200
Depth range
1–280 m (3–919 ft)
Environment
Marine; brackish; benthopelagic; oceanodromous; depth range 1 - 280 m, usually 20 - 65 m
Climate
Subtropical
Distribution
Western Atlantic: southern Massachusetts, USA to Argentina; also Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas, Cuba and south and west Caribbean. Eastern Atlantic: Portugal to Democratic Republic of the Congo, including the Mediterranean. Indo-Pacific: scattered records ranging from the Red Sea, Persian Gulf and East Africa to the Hawaiian Islands. Eastern Pacific: Revillagigedo and Galapagos islands.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Vulnerable (VU) (A2bd+4bd)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience
Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (rm=0.028; K=0.05-0.09; tm=12-16; tmax=32; Fec=5-12)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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