FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes Western

Carcharhinidae 1337
Carcharhinus galapagensis (Snodgrass and Heller, 1905)
Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: None / None.
FAO names: En - Galapagos shark; Fr - Requin de Galapagos; Sp - Tiburón de Galápagos.
Diagnostic characters: A large shark. Body
slender to moderately stout. Snout rounded and
short, its length equal to or less than mouth
width and about equal to or greater than
internarial space; labial furrows short; anterior
nasal flaps rudimentary; upper teeth broadly
triangular, erect to moderately oblique, the
anterior ones strongly serrated and with
higher, broad cusps not delimited from the
bases; lower teeth with high, narrow cusps and
serrations; gill slits relatively short. First dorsal
fin rather high, nearly straight anteriorly, with
ventral view
of head
upper and lower
lateral tooth
a narrowly rounded or pointed apex, its origin over inner margins of pectoral fins; second dorsal fin
moderately high, with a concave posterior margin, its inner margin less than twice the fin height and
its origin over or slightly anterior to that of anal fin; pectoral fins nearly straight and apically pointed. A
low interdorsal ridge present. Colour: dark grey above, light below, fins plain except for slightly dusky
tips in some individuals.
Size: Maximum total length about 3.7 m; commonly to 3 m; size at birth about 57 to 78 cm.
Habitat, biology, and fisheries: A wide-ranging, inshore and offshore shark often preferring the waters
around islands to those of the continental shelf. Viviparous, number of fetuses 6 to 16. Feeds on bottom
fishes, including basses, flatheads, eels, and flatfishes; also on cephalopods and bivalves. An aggressive
species, dangerous to people. No information on utilization or fishing methods are available, but likely to
figure in shark fisheries because of its abundance in habitats if prefers.
Distribution: Widely distributed
in tropical and subtropical
seas, but of spotty
occurrence in the Pacific and
Atlantic, primarily off island
groups but offshore in
continental waters in the
eastern Pacific.