Pondicherry shark
| Pondicherry shark | ||||||||||||
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Pondicherry shark ( Carcharhinus hemiodon ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Carcharhinus hemiodon | ||||||||||||
| ( Müller & Henle , 1839) |
The Pondicherry shark ( Carcharhinus hemiodon ) is a species of the genus Carcharhinus within the Requiem sharks (Carcharhinidae). The distribution area of this species extends from the coasts of India and Oman to the island areas of Southeast Asia around Vietnam , Indonesia and New Guinea .
Appearance and characteristics
The Pondicherry Shark is a medium-sized shark with a maximum length of around 150 to 200 centimeters. His back is gray and his belly is white. The tips of the pectoral fins, the 2nd dorsal fin and both parts of the caudal fin are colored black. There is a white band on the sides of the body.
It has an anal fin and two dorsal fins . The first dorsal fin is large and sickle-shaped, it begins above or slightly behind the rear attachment point of the pectoral fins. The second dorsal fin is relatively large and well developed at around 2.7% of the body length; it begins at about the same height as the anal fin. An interdorsal ridge is present. The pectoral fins are large and sickle-shaped. The snout is pointed and elongated. The eyes are large and round and have a diameter that corresponds to about 2-3% of the body length. Like all species of the genus, the animals have five gill slits and no injection hole .
Way of life
The Pondicherry shark probably only lives near the coast above the continental shelf and in the area of islands. It feeds on a predatory diet , with bony fish probably being part of its range of foods.
Very little data is available on this species' way of life. Like other species of the genus, it is probably viviparous and forms a yolk sac placenta ( placental viviparous ).
distribution
The Pondicherry shark has a potential range from the coasts of India and Oman to the island areas of Southeast Asia around Vietnam , Indonesia and New Guinea .
Systematics
Together with some other species, the Pondicherry shark was placed in a separate genus of night sharks ( Hypoprion ) until a few years ago . The Atlantic night shark ( C. signatus ) and the hard-nosed shark ( C. macloti ) belonged to these species , for the smooth-toothed blacktip shark ( C. leiodon ) an association based on the tooth shape was discussed.
Danger
The pondicherry shark is harmless to humans. It is listed on the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered, as it is known today from only 20 individuals kept in museums and caught in widely separated locations. According to the last scientific evidence from 1979 and in January 2016, a specimen of this species was observed and photographed in Menik Ganga in Sri Lanka . Most of the evidence is from before 1900 and its range is an area of intensive fishing.
supporting documents
- ↑ Malaka Rodrigo: 'Extinct' shark spotted in Menik Ganga In: The Sunday Times of February 14, 2016
- ↑ Carcharhinus hemiodon in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2007. Posted by: Compagno, Hunting Association, White, W. & Fowler, S. (SSG Australia & Oceania Regional Workshop, March 2003), 2003. Accessed on 18 August, 2008.
literature
- Kuno Sch. Steuben : The sharks of the seven seas: species, way of life and sporting catch. Parey, Berlin 1989; Pages 85 and 98. ISBN 3-490-44314-4
Web links
- Species portrait on hai.ch
- Pondicherryhai on Fishbase.org (English)