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Species: Carcharhinus plumbeus, Sandbar Shark

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uniform color
D1: very high, triangular, origin over pectoral rear insertion

Carcharhinus plumbeus (Nardo, 1827)

Sandbar Shark

Body stout; snout round, moderately long (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, possibly 450 cm.

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

Depth: 0-500 m.

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


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Salinity
  • Brackish
  • Marine
Inshore/Offshore
  • In & Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Offshore
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
  • Bottom + water column
  • Mid Water
  • Near Bottom
Habitat
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Water column
  • Corals
  • Estuary
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef and soft bottom
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Bentho-Pelagic
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Sharks/rays
  • Bony fishes
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
  • Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Live birth
  • No pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Circumtropical ( Indian + Pacific + Atlantic Oceans)
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Also in Brazil
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Continental primarily
  • Extends N + S of GC
  • Extends North of GC
  • Extends South of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • Island (s)
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Temperate (>35N)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Listed
  • Vulnerable
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 240
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 450