Species: Carcharhinus altimus, Bignose shark

Carcharhinus altimus (Springer, 1950)

Bignose shark

Heavy body; snout long, broad, and slightly pointed, its length >/= mouth width; eye round; distance from nostrils to mouth < 2.4x mouth width; flaps on front of nostrils large and triangular; upper teeth serrated, triangular (longer than base width) and slightly oblique, the center pair erect, lower teeth with narrow points, finely serrated edges; prominent ridge present on back between dorsal fins; 1st dorsal fin high, (8.3-11.9% of TL, <1/2 length before D), its origin between end of the pectoral base and halfway along inner pectoral margin; apex of first dorsal bluntly pointed; second dorsal fin origin before origin of anal fin, length of its inner margin <1.5X fin height; pectoral fin long, relatively straight; 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.

Grey, becoming whitish below; distal ends of all fins except pelvics dusky, with pigment on tips of pectorals darker on underside of fins.

Reaches 285 cm; size at birth 65-80 cm.

Habitat: offshore, bottom living, juveniles shallow water.

Depth: 25-500 m, usually below 90 m.

Circumglobal distribution in temperate and tropical seas; the Gulf of California to Peru.