Caribbean Sharpnose Shark
| Caribbean Sharpnose Shark | ||||||||||||
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Caribbean Sharpnose Shark ( Rhizoprionodon porosus ) |
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| Rhizoprionodon porosus | ||||||||||||
| ( Poey , 1861) |
The Caribbean Sharpnose Shark ( Rhizoprionodon porosus ) is a species of the Sharpnose Sharks ( Rhizoprionodon ) within the Requiem Sharks (Carcharhinidae). The species is common in the tropical waters of the Caribbean and the coasts of Central and South America.
Appearance and characteristics
The Caribbean Sharpnose Shark is a medium-sized shark with an average body length of around 80 cm and a maximum length of over 110 cm. He has a brown to gray-brown body color, which is sometimes interspersed with lighter spots, and a white belly region without pattern. The edges of the fins are lighter in color. The muzzle is long and the mouth is broadly parabolic when viewed from below, the eyes are large and are located relatively high up on the head. The nostrils are narrow and elongated, and the species also has relatively long labial folds.
It has an anal fin and two dorsal fins . The first dorsal fin is significantly larger than the second and lies slightly in front of or over the free ends of the pectoral fins, while the second arises behind the anal fin. The anal fin is slightly larger than the second dorsal fin. The caudal fin has a relatively short lower and long upper lobe with a distinct end lobe. Like all species of the genus, the animals have five gill slits and no injection hole , the 4th and 5th gill slits are above the pectoral fin attachment.
Way of life
The Caribbean sharp-nosed shark is a shallow-water species and little information is available about its way of life. It predatory feeds mainly on various fish , crustaceans , snails and octopuses . Like the related species, the sharks are viviparous and form a yolk sac placenta ( placental viviparous ). The three to five young animals are born after a gestation period of about 10 to 11 months with a length of about 31 to 39 cm; in Brazil the time of birth is late spring to summer. The males are sexually mature with a body length of around 60 cm and the females around 80 cm.
distribution
The Caribbean Sharpnose Shark is common in the tropical waters of the Caribbean and the coasts of Central and South America. Its habitat is in the area of the continental shelf in areas from the coast to water depths of 500 meters.
literature
- Leonard Compagno , Marc Dando, Sarah Fowler: Sharks of the World. Princeton Field Guides, Princeton University Press , Princeton and Oxford 2005; Pp. 319-320, ISBN 978-0-691-12072-0 .
Web links
- Caribbean Sharpnose Shark on Fishbase.org (English)
- Rhizoprionodon porosus in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2013.2. Posted by: Lessa, R., Quijano, SM, Santana, FM & Monzini, J., 2006. Retrieved December 4, 2013.