Sandbar Shark

The sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus, is a species of requiem shark, family Carcharhinidae, native to the Atlantic Ocean and the Indo-Pacific. It is distinguishable by its very high first dorsal fin and inter-dorsal ridge. One of the most notable features of the Sandbar shark is its strikingly tall first dorsal fin. It can be more than one-tenth of the length of this sizable shark, which usually reaches 6.6 feet in length. They have a streamlined body with a broad flattened head, with a moderately long rounded snout. They are a greyish or brownish color, interdorsal ridge present, and are very strong swimmers.

The sandbar shark is also called the thickskin shark or brown shark. It is one of the biggest coastal sharks in the world, and is closely related to the dusky shark, the bignose shark, and the bull shark. Sandbar sharks usually have heavy-set bodies and rounded snouts that are shorter than the average shark's snout. Females reach sexual maturity around the age of 13 with an average fork-length (tip of the nose to fork in the tail) of 154.9 cm, while males tend to reach maturity around age 12 with an average fork-length of 151.6 cm.

Like other shark species, this sandbar shark has electroreceptors, hundreds of specialized pores located on and around its head. This sensory system detects the electric fields all animals give off with every heartbeat or movement of a muscle. Sharks use this incredible ability to locate even buried prey, like stingrays on the seafloor. Large sharks can detect an electric field at about three feet (one meter).

The sandbar shark eats many fishes, including menhaden, eels, flatfish, other sharks, goatfish, skates, octopus squid, and crustaceans. 

These sharks are viviparious, yolk-sac placenta. Mating occurs from spring through early summer, and females carry the developing young for 9 to 12 months. They retreat to shallow nursery grounds to give birth to 8 to 12 young, depending on the size of the mother. Pups are about 8.6 inches long at birth.