Genus: Carcharhinus, Requiem Shark, Requiem Sharks

CARCHARHINUS

REQUIEM SHARKS

Body slender to stout; snout wide, blunt, more pointed, short to long; round eye; spiracle absent; nostrils small and well separated (space at least 3x nostril width); upper lip folds short to rudimentary, almost vertical at corner of mouth; teeth large, blade-like, sharp, pointed, differing on upper and lower jaws, lower teeth with 1 point; 5 gill slits, last 2 over pectoral fin base; 2 dorsal fins, first much larger (at least 2.5x) than second, but smaller than tail, middle of 1st dorsal closer to pectoral base than pelvic base, or equidistant between them; no longitudinal ridge on each side before anal fin; origin of second dorsal usually over origin of anal fin; rear edge of anal fin notched; tail base with transverse notch on top, but without keel; tail strongly asymmetrical, with well developed lower lobe, undulating ridge along dorsal surface of top lobe, and a notch under tip of that lobe.

A large genus (31 species) that occurs in all tropical and temperate seas. Fifteen species occur in our region; 9 circumglobal, 1 Atlantic and 5 W Atlantic.