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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 (Ref. 244). 2 to 14 young, 73 to 87 cm, are born per litter [5].

Near Threatened

Threat status

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Afrikaans:

Syhaai

Common Names in Bali:

Hiu Lonjor, Mungsing

Common Names in Danish:

Silkehaj

Common Names in Dutch:

Kanhaai, Zijdehaai

Common Names in English:

Blackspot shark, Gray Reef 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, Silky Whaler, 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:

Karcharinos lios, Καρχαρίνος λείος

Common Names in Greek, Modern:

Karcharinos Lios, Καρχαρίνος λείος

Common Names in Greek, Modern (1453):

Karcharinos lios, Καρχαρίνος λείος

Common Names in Gujarati:

Moosi

Common Names in Hawaiian:

Mano, Papa

Common Names in Japanese:

Kurotogari zame, Kurotogarizame

Common Names in Javanese:

Mungsing

Common Names in Jawa:

Cucut Lanjaman, Hiu Lanyam

Common Names in Kannada:

ತರ್ ವಾಟ್

Common Names in Malay:

Mungsing, Yu, Yu jereh, Yu pasir

Common Names in Malayalam:

Mandi sravu, മണ്ടി സ്റാവ്

Common Names in Mandarin Chinese:

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

Common Names in Marathi:

Mushi, मुशी

Common Names in Other:

mago, Magogo, Magomago

Common Names in Papiamento:

Tribon berde

Common Names in Portuguese:

Ca, Cação, Lombo preto, Marracho sedoso, Marracho-luzidio, Tubar, Tubarão-luzidio

Common Names in Samoan:

Malie

Common Names in Sindhi:

Gussi

Common Names in Spanish:

Caz, Cazon, Cazón de playa, Cazón-tiburón, Jaqueta, Jaqueton, Tibur, Tiburón, Tiburón jaquetón, Tiburón lustroso, tiburón piloto, Tiburón 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:

Karimuthu sura, Suga sura, కరిముతు సురా, సుగ సుర

Common Names in Thai:

Chalarm Thao

Description

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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]

Ecology: The Silky Shark is essentially pelagic and is most often found near the edge of continental and insular shelves at depths of 200 m or more in the epipelagic zone although it occurs to at least 500 m depth offshore (Compagno in prep). It is often associated with islands, near insular slopes and over deepwater reefs. It has also been recorded inshore to as shallow as 18 m depth (Compagno in prep). It is an active swift species, preferring warmer waters (about 23°C). Smaller sharks are often found in coastal nurseries and adults further offshore over deeper water. However, in the central Indian Ocean juveniles are oceanic , associated with drifting objects (C. Anderson pers. comm. ).

The Silky Shark is a live bearer, usually having around 6?12 pups every one or two years (2?15 per litter , Last and Stevens 1994). The gestation period is 12 months (Bonfil et al. 1993). Life history parameters of silky sharks seem to vary geographically, perhaps reflecting the existence of distinct stocks for different ocean basins . In the Gulf of Mexico, Silky Sharks grow at a moderate rate and first attain maturity at about 215?225 cm TL for males and 232?246 cm TL for females, or around 6?10 years and 7?12+ years respectively (Branstetter 1987, Bonfil et al. 1993). They can live to at least 22+ years (Bonfil 1990) and attain a length of up to 330 cm TL. In this part of the world, the young are born at about 76 cm TL during the summer, whereas in other oceans the species seems to have no seasonality in reproduction (Bonfil et al. 1993). This species has a moderate to low intrinsic rate of increase ; estimated at 0.043 by Smith et al. (1998) (moderate range : 0.04?0.07). Hoyos (2003) provides information on the life-history parameters of silky sharks from Mexico in the Eastern Central Pacific and Ruíz and Ixquiac (2000), Morales (2002) and Villatoro and Rivera (1994) from Guatemala and El Salvador. Both males and females reportedly mature at 180?182 cm TL off Mexico in the Eastern Central Pacific, with females reaching a maximum size of 316 TL and producing 2?9 pups per litter (Hoyos 2003). Oshitani et al. (2003) reported on the age and growth of silky sharks in the Pacific Ocean (using samples collected from Japanese tuna longline and purse seine fisheries). They found that males mature at >186 cm TL and at 5?6 years of age, and females at 193?200 cm TL and 6?7 years of age. Size at birth ranged from 65?81 cm TL. In contrast to earlier studies in the Pacific Ocean, Oshitani et al. (2003) noted that their results were similar to those of studies in the Atlantic Ocean. In the Maldives, Indian Ocean, males are estimated to mature at about 205 cm TL, reaching a maximum size of 242 cm TL; females reaching a maximum size of 263 cm TL (Anderson unpublished data ). Size at birth is reported at 56?72 cm TL in this area (Anderson unpublished data).

Recently, intensive demographic modelling of shark populations revealed that the silky shark from southern and northern Gulf of Mexico has moderate levels of intrinsic rate of increase (ca. 0.10 and 0.055) (Cortés 2002).

Silky Sharks generally leave their coastal nursery grounds and move offshore to a more oceanic existence as sub-adults, frequently joining tuna schools on which they seem to feed (Branstetter 1987). The Silky Shark is a piscivorous shark feeding on sea catfish, mullets , mackerel , yellowfin tuna, albacore, porcupine fish and other fish species, as well as on a variety of cephalopods (Compagno 1984, Bonfil 1990).[7].

List of Habitats :

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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Synonyms

Aprionodon sitankaiensis Herre • Carcharhinus atrodorsus Deng • Carcharhinus falciformes • Carcharhinus falciformes (Müller & Henle, 1839) • Carcharhinus falciformes< /i> (Müller & Henle • Carcharhinus falciformes< /i> (Müller & Henle • Carcharhinus falciformis • Carcharhinus falciformis (Müller & Henle (ex Bibron), 1839) • Carcharhinus falciformis< /i> (Müller and Henle • Carcharhinus floridanus Bigelow • Carcharhinus menisorrah< /i> (Müller & Henle • Carcharias falciformis • Carcharias falciformis Müller & Henle • Carcharias falciformis Müller and Henle, 1839 • Carcharias falcipinnis Lowe • Carcharias menisorrah Müller & Henle • Carcharins menisorrah Müller & Henle • Eulamia malpeloensis Fowler • Eulamia menisorrah< /i> (Müller & Henle • Gymnorhinus pharaonis Hemprich & Ehrenberg • Prionodon tiburo Poey • Schroeder & Springer • Squalus tiburo Poey • Xiong & Zhan

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

First described: Müller, J. and F.g.j. Henle Systematische Beschreibung der Plagiostomen. Berlin, Veit, (2):29-102., 1839.

Comment: ex Bibron[8].

Last scrutiny: Data last modified by FishBase 28-Oct-2000

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Carcharhinus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 36 species and subspecies in this genus:

C. acronotus (Blacknose Shark) · C. ahenea (Shortnose Blacktail Shark) · C. albimarginatus (Silvertip Shark) · C. altimus (Knopp´s Shark) · C. amblyrhynchoides (Graceful Shark) · C. amblyrhynchos (Shortnose Blacktail Shark) · C. amboinensis (Ambon Sharpnose Puffer) · C. azureus (Large Blacktip Shark) · C. borneensis (Borneo Mullet) · C. brachyurus (Black-Tipped Whaler) · C. brevipinna (Blacktipped Shark) · C. cautus (Sharks Bay Whaler Shark) · C. dussumieri (Whitecheek Shark) · C. falciformis (Sickle-Shaped Shark) · C. fitzroyensis (Creek Whaler Shark) · C. galapagensis (Galapagos Shark) · C. hemiodon (Pondicherry Shark) · C. isodon (Fintooth Shark) · C. leiodon (Smoothtooth Blacktip Shark) · C. leucas (Bull Shark) · C. limbatus (Blacktip Shark) · C. longimanus (Brown Milbert's Sand Bar Shark) · C. macloti (Hardnose Shark) · C. melanopterus (Black Fin Reef Shark) · C. obscurus (Dusky Shark) · C. perezi (Caribbean Reef Shark) · C. perezii (Caribbean Reef Shark) · C. plumbeus (Northern Whaler Shark) · C. porosus (Tiburon Peninsula Limia) · C. sealei (Black-Spot Shark) · C. signatus (Night Shark) · C. sorrah (West Australian Whaler Shark) · C. springeri (Reef Shark) · C. tilstoni (Australian Blacktip Shark) · C. velox (Whitenose Shark) · C. wheeleri (Blacktail Reef Shark)

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). Características generales de la ictiofauna. p. 55-70. In R. Claro (ed.) Ecología de los peces marinos de Cuba. Instituto de Oceanología 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., Amorim, A., Anderson, C., Arauz, R., Baum, J., Clarke, S.C., Graham, R.T., Gonzalez, M., Jolón, M., Kyne, P.M., Mancini, P., Márquez, F., Ruíz, C. & Smith, W. 2009. Carcharhinus falciformis. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 31 January 2012. [back]
  8. Eschmeyer, W.N., Editor (1999). Catalog of fishes. Updated database version of November 1999. Catalog databases as made available to FishBase in November 1999. [back]
Last Revised: 7/15/2012