FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes Western

Carcharhinidae 1345
Carcharhinus plumbeus (Nardo, 1827)
Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: Carcharhinus milberti (Valenciennes in Müller and Henle,
1841) / None.
FAO names: En - Sandbar shark; Fr - Requin gris (= Réquiem plombe, Area 31); Sp - Tiburón trozo
(= Tiburón de Milberto).
Diagnostic characters: A medium-sized, comparatively
stout shark. Snout broadly rounded and short,
its length less than width of mouth but greater than
distance between nostrils; spiracles absent; teeth finely
serrate, those in upper jaw broadly triangular and
erect to slightly oblique, with broad, heavy cusps; lower
teeth with narrow, erect cusps. First dorsal fin
triangular, very high (height of fin twice the length of
snout in adults), with a pointed or narrowly rounded
apex, its origin over insertions of pectoral fins;origin
of second dorsal fin about opposite that of anal fin, its
inner margin less than twice the fin height; pectoral fins
long and broad, their corners narrowly rounded or pointed. Interdorsal ridge present. Dermal denticles
widely spaced, their free edges without definite teeth. Colour: back grey, or rarely brown; belly whitish.
Size: Maximum total length about 2.4 m, records to 3 m uncertain; size at birth 60 to 75 cm.
Habitat, biology, and fisheries: A coastal species usually found over sandy or muddy bottoms; often
coming near estuaries but sometimes occurring in oceanic waters to depths of 280 m. Viviparous, number
of young 1 to 14. Feeds mainly on bottom-dwelling animals, including flatfishes, rays, crabs, and snails;
also on schooling fishes and squids. Not known to be dangerous to humans. Caught with longlines,
hook-and-line, and set-bottom nets and is also fished with rod and reel by sports anglers as a game fish.
It is utilized fresh, fresh-frozen, smoked, and dried-salted for human consumption; the hides are prized for
leather and other products; the fins are prepared as the base for shark-fin soup; the liver is extracted for
oil (rich in vitamins).
Distribution: Wide-ranging
in tropical and subtropical
areas of the eastern and
western Atlantic, from the
Mediterranean Sea, Indian
Ocean and western Central
Pacific to Hawaii; records
from the eastern Central
Pacific are uncertain. ?
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ventral view
of head
upper and lower
tooth near centre