Species: Carcharhinus galapagensis, Galapagos Shark
snout moderately long, broadly round
pelvics well behind D1
Carcharhinus galapagensis (Snodgrass & Heller, 1905)
Galapagos Shark
round; nasal flaps rudimentary; lip furrows short; upper teeth broadly triangular, serrated, straight to slightly oblique; lower teeth with high narrow straight, very finely serrated points; a low ridge between dorsal fins; origin of first dorsal fin above about rear edge of pectoral fins; first dorsal fin moderately large (height 9.1-12.1% or more of TL), with straight front edge, its apex pointed or narrowly rounded, moderately concave rear edge, its origin over rear 1/2 of inner margin of pectoral fin; origin of second dorsal fin about over anal fin origin, fin height usually > 2.3% (2.1-3.3%) TL; origin of pelvic fins well behind 1st dorsal fin; pectorals large, slightly curved, with narrowly rounded to pointed tips; 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.
Brownish grey on back and sides, white below; tips of most fins dusky, especially underside of pectorals.
Attains 370 cm.
Habitat: usually associated with oceanic islands. Often occurs in aggregations.
Depth: 0-286 m.
Circumtropical distribution; the Gulf of California to Peru.
Note: Very similar in appearance and easily confused with C. obscurus; in C obscurus the origin of the 1st dorsal fin is over/slightly behind the free rear tip of the pectoral fin (vs over the inner margin & before that tip in C galapagensis); and the pelvic origin is only slightly behind the free rear tip of the 1st dorsal fin (vs well behind in C galapagensis).
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- In & Offshore
- Offshore
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom + water column
- Surface
- Near Surface
- Bottom
- Near Bottom
- Mid Water
- Habitat
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- Water column
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Bentho-Pelagic
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Bony fishes
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Egg Type
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- No pelagic larva
- Live birth
- No data
- Global Endemism
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- East Pacific + all Atlantic (East+West)
- "Transpacific" (East + Central &/or West Pacific)
- TEP non-endemic
- All Pacific (West + Central + East)
- Circumtropical ( Indian + Pacific + Atlantic Oceans)
- All species
- East Pacific + Atlantic (East +/or West)
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) non-endemic
- All species
- Island (s)
- Continent + Island (s)
- Eastern Pacific non-endemic
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
- South Temperate (Peruvian Province )
- IUCN Red List
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- Near threatened
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 370
- Depth Range Min
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- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 286