Species: Carcharhinus perezii, Caribbean Reef Shark, Reef Shark

Carcharhinus perezii (Poey, 1876)

Reef Shark, Caribbean Reef Shark

Body long and stout; eyes round, small, nictitating eyelids present; snout broadly rounded and short (< mouth width); nostrils with low triangular anterior nasal flap; teeth finely serrated, on top jaw with broad base and narrow points that are notched on each side of base, oblique (straight in the center), lower teeth with narrow straight points; no spiracles; gill slits short, last three over pectoral; no papillae; first dorsal moderately high, 10.3-11.3% of TL, front margin slightly convex, tip rounded, rear margin weakly concave, origin over or slightly before pectoral free rear tip; second dorsal small, about equal to anal, rear margin slightly concave, length of free rear tip slightly greater than height of that fin; origin of 2nd dorsal fin over anal fin origin; origin of pelvic fins distinctly behind 1st dorsal fin; anal fin with deeply notched rear margin; pectoral fins long, narrow, slightly angular; tail base without keel; a low ridge between dorsal fins; tail fin strongly asymmetrical, with well developed lower lobe, undulating ridge along dorsal surface of top lobe, and a notch under tip of that lobe.

Greyish brown to greyish olive on top, white to yellowish below; no white stripe along mid-flank; undersides of pectorals and pelvics, anal and edge of lower lobe of tail fin dark.

Size: 295 cm.

Habitat: on reefs near bottom, around dropoffs, but also on hard and mud bottoms.

Depth: 0-610 m.

Bermuda to Brazil.