Species: Carcharhinus galapagensis, Galapagos Shark

Carcharhinus galapagensis (Snodgrass & Heller, 1905)

Galapagos Shark

A relatively slender shark; snout moderately long and broadly rounded; eyes large, round; nasal flaps rudimentary; lip furrows short; upper teeth broadly triangular, serrated, straight to slightly oblique; lower teeth with high narrow straight, very finely serrated points; a low ridge between dorsal fins; origin of first dorsal fin above about rear edge of pectoral fins; first dorsal fin moderately large (height 9.1-12.1% or more of TL), with straight front edge, its apex pointed or narrowly rounded, moderately concave rear edge, its origin over rear 1/2 of inner margin of pectoral fin; origin of second dorsal fin about over anal fin origin, fin height usually > 2.3% (2.1-3.3%) TL; origin of pelvic fins well behind 1st dorsal fin; pectorals large, slightly curved, with narrowly rounded to pointed tips; tail base without keel; 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.

Brownish grey on back and sides, white below; tips of most fins dusky, especially underside of pectorals.

Attains 370 cm.

Habitat: usually associated with oceanic islands. Often occurs in aggregations.

Depth: 0-286 m.

Circumtropical distribution; Bermuda to the N & E Caribbean.

Note: Very similar in appearance and easily confused with C. obscurus; in C obscurus the origin of the 1st dorsal fin is over/slightly behind the free rear tip of the pectoral fin (vs over the inner margin & before that tip in C galapagensis); and the pelvic origin is only slightly behind the free rear tip of the 1st dorsal fin (vs well behind in C galapagensis).