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Species: Carcharhinus cerdale, Pacific smalltail Shark

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

elongate
snout long, pointed
eyes large
D1 low, origin over ~center inner margin pectoral
D2: small, orgin just behind A origin
pectoral small
A deeply notched at rear

Carcharhinus cerdale Gilbert in Jordan & Evermann, 1898

Pacific Smalltail Shark

A slender, fusiform shark; snout long and pointed (length 1.2-1.8 in distance between nostrils); eyes circular and large; nostrils with narrow-based pointed flap; top lip fold short; top front teeth broadly triangular, with narrow, oblique, notched, serrated points, serrations larger below notch; lower front teeth with narrow, straight to slightly oblique points & fine serrations; no ridge between dorsal fins; first dorsal fin broadly triangular, low, with bluntly pointed tip, origin over center of rear inner margin of pectoral fins; origin of second dorsal fin a little behind origin of anal fin; pectoral fins small, slightly curved with narrowly rounded to pointed tips; anal fin with deeply notched rear edge; 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.

Generally grey on back and sides, white on lower parts; tips of dorsal and caudal fins may be dusky or blackish. Young with tail fin with black rear border, pectorals with wide white margin, often black tips.

Grows to 140 cm.

Habitat: an inshore shark over mud bottoms, often into shallow estuaries.

Depth: 5-40 m.

The Gulf of California to Peru.

Note: This is the sister species of C porosus from the W Atlantic.


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Salinity
  • Freshwater
  • Brackish
  • Marine
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore Only
  • Inshore
Water Column Position
  • Bottom + water column
  • Near Bottom
  • Bottom
  • Mid Water
Habitat
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Water column
  • Estuary
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
Feeding Group
  • No Data
  • Carnivore
Diet
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Bony fishes
  • Sharks/rays
  • Data
  • Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
Egg Type
  • No pelagic larva
  • No data
  • Live birth
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
Regional Endemism
  • All species
  • Continent
  • TEP endemic
  • Continent only
  • Continental TEP endemic
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
  • North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
  • South Temperate (Peruvian Province )
  • Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
  • Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
IUCN Red List
  • Data deficient
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 140
Depth Range Min
  • 5
Depth Range Max
  • 40