Species: Carcharhinus plumbeus, Sandbar shark

Carcharhinus plumbeus (Nardo, 1827)

Sandbar shark

Body stout; snout round, short (length < mouth width); eyes round, small; nasal opening small and well separated; nasal flaps low, inconspicuous; distance from nostrils to mouth usually >2.4X mouth width); upper teeth broadly triangular (length ~ base width), straight at front, oblique on sides, finely serrated, lower teeth very finely serrated, with narrow, straight points; 5 gill slits, last 2 over pectoral fin base; first dorsal very high (height >1/2 length before dorsal fin), triangular, origin over rear pectoral insertion; origin of second dorsal over anal origin; pectoral long, wide, curved, tip pointed to rounded; prominent crest between dorsal fins; 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.

Bronze to grey above, belly whitish.

Size: 240 cm.

Habitat: inshore and offshore, coastal pelagic, demersal over sandy and muddy bottoms, bay mouths, river mouths.

Depth: 0-1800 m.

Circumtropical (except for the eastern Pacific); E United States to Venezuela.