Copper shark
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| Copper shark | ||||||||||||||||
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| Carcharhinus brachyurus (Günther, 1870) |
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 Range of copper shark
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The copper shark, bronze whaler, or narrowtooth shark, Carcharhinus brachyurus, is a large shark of the Carcharhinidae family, found in subtropical seas and oceans worldwide, except the eastern coast of North America and the northern Indian Ocean. Their length is up to about 3.5 metres (11 ft) and they can weigh up to 300 kilograms (660 lb).
The copper shark has a blunt broad snout, narrow bent cusps on the upper teeth, and no interdorsal ridge. They are gray to bronze in colour on the back, and white below. The fins are similarly coloured except the pelvic fins, which have dusky tips, and the pectoral fins, which have dusky to black tips.
Copper sharks are often seen close inshore feeding on schooling fish, such as salmon, frequently within the surf zone but they are also found around offshore islands near deep water where they prey on squid as well as pelagic and bottom-dwelling fish.
Reproduction is viviparous and the female will deliver between seven and twenty live pups. Males live for up to thirty years, and females for up to twenty five. It can be dangerous to spearfishers with recently speared fish, and also towards surfers as its prey is often found in the surf. The copper shark is a large and potentially aggressive shark that has attacked people.[1] It is often confused with the dusky shark.
[edit] References
- Duffy & Gordon (2003). Carcharhinus brachyurus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a lengthy justification of why this species is near threatened
- Carcharhinus brachyurus (TSN 160346). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 24 January 2006.
- "Carcharhinus brachyurus". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. 10 2005 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2005.
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Wikispecies has information related to: Copper shark |
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