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Carcharhinus falciformis

(Sickle-Shaped Shark)

Overview

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244; 37816). Viviparous [3]. Regarded as dangerous to humans[4]. Flesh utilized fresh and dried-salted for human consumption ; its hide for leather ; its fin for shark-fin soup ; its liver for oil [1]. 2 to 14 young, 73 to 87 cm, are born per litter [5].

Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Afrikaans:

Syhaai

Common Names in Danish:

Silkehaj

Common Names in Dutch:

Kanhaai, Zijdehaai

Common Names in English:

Blackspot Shark, Grey Whaler Shark, Net-Eater Shark, Olive Shark, Reef Shark, Ridgeback Shark, Shark, Sickle Shark, Sickle Silk Shark, Sickle-Shaped Shark, Silk Shark, Silky Shark, Tollo

Common Names in Finnish:

Haukkahai

Common Names in French:

Mangeur D'hommes, Requin Renard, Requin Soyeux

Common Names in German:

Seidenhai

Common Names in Greek:

Καρχαρίνος λείος, Καρχαρίνος λείος, Karcharinos Lios

Common Names in Greek, Modern (1453):

Καρχαρίνος λείος, Karcharinos Lios

Common Names in Gujarati:

Moosi

Common Names in Hawaiian:

Mano, Manō, Papa

Common Names in Japanese:

Kurotogari Zame, Kurotogarizame

Common Names in Javanese:

Mungsing

Common Names in Kannada:

ತರ್ ವಾಟ್

Common Names in Malay:

Mungsing, Yu, Yu Jereh, Yu Pasir

Common Names in Malayalam:

മണ്ടി സ്റാവ്, Mandi Sravu

Common Names in Mandarin Chinese:

佛羅里達真鯊, 大沙, 平滑白眼鮫, 鐮狀真鯊, 黑印真鯊, 黑背真鯊, 鐮狀真鯊, 镰状真鲨, 黑背真鯊, 黑背真鲨, 黑印真鯊, 黑印真鲨, 大沙, 平滑白眼鮫, 平滑白眼鲛, 佛罗里达真鲨, 佛羅里達真鯊

Common Names in Marathi:

मुशी, Mushi

Common Names in Other:

Mago, Magogo, Magomago

Common Names in Papiamento:

Tribon Berde

Common Names in Portuguese:

Cação, Cao, Lombo Preto, Marracho Sedoso, Marracho-Luzidio, Tubaro-Luzidio, Tubarão-Luzidio

Common Names in Samoan:

Malie

Common Names in Sindhi:

Gussi

Common Names in Spanish:

Cazón, Cazón De Playa, Cazón-Tiburón, Cazn, Cazn De Playa, Cazn-Tiburn, Jaqueta, Jaquetón, Jaqueton, Tiburón, Tiburón Jaquetón, Tiburón Lustroso, Tiburón Piloto, Tiburón Sedoso, Tiburn, Tiburon Jaqueton, Tiburn Lustroso, Tiburn Piloto, Tiburn Sedoso, Tinterero, Tollo, Tollo Mantequero

Common Names in Swahili:

Mbamba Menyo, Papa, Papa Bunshu

Common Names in Swedish:

Silkeshaj

Common Names in Tagalog:

Pating

Common Names in Tahitian:

Tautukau

Common Names in Telugu:

కరిముతు సురా, సుగ సుర, Karimuthu Sura, Suga Sura

Common Names in Thai:

Chalarm Thao

Description

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Family Carcharhinidae

Distribution: global. Gill openings 5, the fifth behind origin of pectoral fin. Small to large sharks with round eyes, internal nictitating eyelids , no nasoral grooves or barbels , usually no spiracles. Teeth usually bladelike with one cusp . Development usually viviparous with young born fully developed. Includes several dangerous species, but most prefer to avoid divers .The family Carcharhinidae belongs to the Class Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays ) and the Order Carcharhiniformes. It contains 12 genera and 50 species. It may be found in Marine , Brackish , and Freshwater environments and is primarily Marine. Members of this family are not used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are bearers. The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is carangiform . Compared with other fish, the activity level of this family tends to be active . Members of this family have been dated back to the lower Eocene epoch of the Tertiary period. This family may be found from 41° n to 35° s and 115° w to 168° e. Etymology of this family name : Greek, karcharos, -ou = cutting, sharp and also a kind of shark + Greek, rhinos = nose

Physical Description

Species Carcharhinus falciformis

Distinctive Features: A large, slender shark , the silky is characterized by a moderately extended, rounded snout, a relatively sloping first dorsal fin with a blunt apex that originates behind the free margins of the pectoral fins, a small second dorsal fin with an extremely long free rear tip (more than 2x the height ), and a low inter-dorsal ridge . Pectoral fins are long and slender, typically with dusky tips .

Dentition: Upper teeth broadly triangular and oblique becoming more diagonal toward the angle of the jaws , strongly notched laterally, heavily serrated on both sides (slightly more basally). Lower teeth erect with smooth edges . Usually 1 or 2 symphysial teeth in both the upper and lower jaws.

Dermal Denticles : Denticles are small, tightly packed and over-lapping giving the hide a smooth or "silky" texture , hence the common name .

Color:

Dark gray with a bronzy tint dorsally and white ventrally. Tips of fins other than first dorsal dusky , more conspicuous in juveniles .

Size/Age/Growth

Maximum length for this species is 3.3 m (10 ft ). Males mature at 215-230 cm (9-10 years of age) and grow to a lesser size than females, which reach maturity at 230-245 cm (12 years of age), however, these numbers may vary by population. For example, populations in the Pacific and Indian oceans generally have a smaller size at maturation . Size at birth is 70-85 cm (2-2.5 ft). Maximum age is believed to be 22+ years.Males are commonly 250 cm (Total Length) in length when caught/marketed, but may be as large as 350 cm (Total Length).

Habitat

Although essentially pelagic , the silky shark is not restricted to the open ocean and has been recorded from depths as shallow as 18 meters (56 ft ). It is an active , swift shark that prefers warmer water (about 23°C). It is commonly found near the edges of continental shelves and over deepwater reefs where there is abundant food source. Typically, it ranges from the surface down to at least 500 meters (1,550 ft) but has been caught over water as deep as 4000 meters (12,4000 ft). Studies show no strong tendency for sexual segregation in the silky shark however, they often travel with others of their own size indicating that size segregation is present within the species. Typically, smaller sharks can be found in coastal nurseries and adults further offshore over deeper water. Small silky sharks are commonly associated with schools of tuna . May be found at depths of 0 to 500 meters.

Typically found in water with a depth of 0 to -5,230 meters (0 to -17,159 feet).[6]

Biome: Saltwater . Reef-associated .

Ecology: C. falciformis occurs offshore, and in oceanic areas in tropical regions . It is found near the edge of continental and insular shelves but has also been recorded far from land in the open sea . It occasionally moves inshore where the water is as shallow as 18 m ; in the open ocean it occurs from the surface down to at least 500 m. The silky shark is often found over deepwater reefs and near insular slopes. It is an active , quick-moving, aggressive shark, but defers to the more sluggish but stubbornly persistent oceanic whitetip shark. The species is much more abundant offshore near land than in the open ocean. Primarily a fish-eater, feeding on pelagic and inshore teleosts including sea catfish, mullet, mackerel , yellowfin tuna , albacore, and porcupine fish, but also squid, paper nautiluses, and pelagic crabs (Compagno 1984).[7]


List of Habitats :9.1Marine Neritic - Pelagic 10.1Marine Oceanic - Epipelagic (0-200m)

Biology

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Diet

Feeds primarily on a variety of bony fish, cephalopods , and to a lesser extent, crustaceans. Tuna (little tunny and yellowfin), albacore, mullet, mackerel , porcupine fish, squid, nautiluses, and various crabs have all been found in the stomachs silky sharks .

Reproduction

Reproduction is viviparous (placental ). In the western North Atlantic, females give birth in late spring (May-June) and mate around the same time in alternating years. The gestation period is about 12 months. Number of sharks per litter is 6-14 in the western Atlantic, 9-12 in the eastern Atlantic, 9-14 in the western Indian, and 2-11 in the central Indian. Neonates spend first the few months in near reefs but move to the open ocean by the first winter. In the western North Atlantic, nursery areas are located along the Caribbean islands.

Migration

Oceanodromous .

Taxonomy

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Ambiguous Synonyms

  1. Carcharias falcipinnis Lowe, 1839

Unambiguous Synonyms

  1. Aprionodon sitankaiensis Herre, 1934
  2. Carcharhinus atrodorsus Deng, Xiong & Zhan, 1981
  3. Carcharhinus falciformes /i> (Müller & Henle, 1839)
  4. Carcharhinus falciformes /i> (Mller & Henle, 1839)
  5. Carcharhinus falciformis /i> (Müller and Henle, 1839)
  6. Carcharhinus floridanus Bigelow, Schroeder & Springer, 1943
  7. Carcharhinus menisorrah /i> (Mller & Henle, 1839)
  8. Carcharias falciformis Mller & Henle, 1839
  9. Carcharias menisorrah Mller & Henle, 1839
  10. Carcharins menisorrah Mller & Henle, 1839
  11. Eulamia malpeloensis Fowler, 1944
  12. Eulamia menisorrah /i> (Mller & Henle, 1839)
  13. Gymnorhinus pharaonis Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1899
  14. Prionodon tiburo Poey, 1860
  15. Squalus tiburo Poey, 1860

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Family : Requiem sharks .

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Carcharhinus

There are approximately 72 species in this genus:

C. acronotus (Blacknose Shark) · C. ahenea · C. albimarginatus (Silver-Tip Shark) · C. altima · C. altimus (Knopp´s Shark) · C. amblyrhynchoides (Queensland Shark) · C. amblyrhynchos (Shortnose Blacktail Shark) · C. amblyrhynchus · C. amboinensis (Ambon Sharpnose Puffer) · C. azureus · C. borneensis (Borneo Mullet) · C. brachyurus (Bronze Shark Whaler) · C. brevipinna (Great Blacktip Shark) · C. cautus (Nervous Shark) · C. cerdale · C. commersoni · C. commersonii · C. dussumieri (White-Cheeked Whaler Shark) · C. egertoni · C. elongatus · C. falciformis (Sickle-Shaped Shark) · C. fitzroyensis (Creek Whaler) · C. floridanus · C. frequens · C. galapagensis (Grey Reef Whaler) · C. glauca · C. glaucus · C. hemiodon (Pondicherry Shark) · C. isodon (Smoothtooth Shark) · C. japonicus · C. lamia · C. obscurus · C. leiodon (Smooth Tooth Blacktip Shark) · C. leucas (Freshwater Whaler) · C. limbatus (Small Black Tipped Shark) · C. littoralis · C. longimanus (Brown Milbert's Sand Bar Shark) · C. macloti (Hardnose Shark) · C. macrurus · C. maculipinnis · C. longimanus · C. melanoptera · C. melanopterus (Black Fin Reef Shark) · C. sealei · C. milberti · C. natator · C. nicaraguensis · C. obscurus (Brown Common Gray Shark) · C. obtusus · C. oxyrhynchus · C. perezi (Caribbean Reef Shark) · C. perezii (Caribbean Reef Shark) · C. plumbeus · C. platyrhynchus · C. plumbeus (Thickskin Shark) · C. porosus (Tiburon Peninsula Limia) · C. priscus · C. remotus · C. sealei (Black-Spot Shark) · C. signatus (Night Shark) · C. sorrah (Spot-Tail Whaler) · C. amblyrhynchos · C. springeri · C. taurus · C. tephrodes · C. tilstoni (Whitley´s Blacktip Shark) · C. tjutjot · C. velox · C. wheeleri · C. zambezensis · C. sealei · C. limbatus

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 01, 2008:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Compagno, L.J.V. (1984). FAO species catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 2. Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. (125, Vol. 4, Part 2), 655 p. [back]
  2. Claro, R. (1994). Caractersticas generales de la ictiofauna. p. 55-70. In R. Claro (ed.) Ecologa de los peces marinos de Cuba. Instituto de Oceanologa Academia de Ciencias de Cuba and Centro de Investigaciones de Quintana Roo. [back]
  3. Dulvy, N.K. and J.D. Reynolds (1997). Evolutionary transitions among egg-laying, live-bearing and maternal inputs in sharks and rays. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 264:1309-1315. [back]
  4. Compagno, L.J.V. and V.H. Niem (1998). Carcharhinidae. Requiem sharks. p. 1312-1360. In K.E. Carpenter and V.H. Niem (eds.) FAO Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO, Rome. [back]
  5. Myers, R.F. (1991). Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p. [back]
  6. Mean = -2,236.550 meters (-7,337.762 feet), Standard Deviation = 1,827.470 based on 73 observations. Ocean depth information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
  7. Bonfil, R. 2000. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 19, 2008. [back]
Last Revised: 2009-05-11