Whale bay shark
| Whale bay shark | ||||||||||||
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Whale shark ( Carcharhinus fitzroyensis ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Carcharhinus fitzroyensis | ||||||||||||
| ( Whitley , 1943) |
The Creek Whaler ( Carcharhinus fitzroyensis ) is a kind of the genus Carcharhinus within the Requiem sharks (Carcharhinidae). The species is found in the northern coastal waters of Australia from Queensland to Western Australia .
Appearance and characteristics
The whale bay shark is a medium-sized and powerful shark with a maximum length of about 150 centimeters and an average body length between 110 and 130 centimeters. He has a bronze to gray-brown back color and a white belly and has no noticeable markings or drawings.
It has an anal fin and two dorsal fins . The first dorsal fin is large and triangular, it begins a little in front of the free ends of the pectoral fins. The second dorsal fin is relatively large and well developed at around 3% of the body length; it begins at about the same height as the anal fin. There is no interdorsal ridge . The pectoral fins are also large and triangular with elongated tips and a base that is about 17 to 19% of the total length. The snout is elongated and parabolic. Like all species of the genus, the animals have five gill slits and no injection hole .
Way of life
The whale bay shark lives near the coast as well as in deeper and more coastal regions above the continental shelf . It feeds predatory on small bony fish and, more rarely, on crustaceans .
The sharks are viviparous and form a yolk sac placenta ( placental viviparous ). The birth length of the young is about 50 cm. The young sharks reach sexual maturity with a body length of about 80 (males) or 90 centimeters (females).
distribution
The whale bay shark is common in the northern coastal waters of Australia from Queensland to Western Australia.
Danger
The whale bay shark is harmless to humans. It is listed in the IUCN Red List as “Least Concern” because it is an endemic species north of Australia that has a large distribution area and is estimated to be comparatively reproductive . The pressure from local fisheries can thus be offset.
supporting documents
- ↑ Carcharhinus fitzroyensis in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2007. Posted by: Bennett, MB & Kyne, PM (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
- Walbuchthai on Fishbase.org (English)