Silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) fish species and Silky shark information

Scientific Name
Carcharhinus falciformis

Common Name
Silky shark

Biology
Found abundantly near the edge of continental and insular shelves, but also in the open sea and occasionally inshore (Ref. 244). Often found in deepwater reefs and near insular slopes (Ref. 244). Littoral and epipelagic, in the open sea or near the bottom at 18-500 m (Ref. 58302). It is quick-moving and aggressive (Ref. 244). Solitary (Ref. 26340); often associated with schools of tuna (Ref. 244). Feeds mainly on fishes, but also squid, paper nautiluses, and pelagic crabs (Ref. 244; 37816). Viviparous (Ref. 50449). Regarded as dangerous to humans (Ref. 9997). 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 (Ref. 1602).

Classification

Classified By

M?ller & Henle, 1839

Class

Sharks and Rays (Elasmobranchii)

Order

Ground sharks (Carcharhiniformes)

Family

Requiem sharks (Carcharhinidae)

Distribution

Region

Circumtropical. Western Atlantic

Distribution

Circumtropical. Western Atlantic: Massachusetts, USA to southern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea to Uruguay (Ref. 58839). Eastern Atlantic: Spain, Madeira to northern Angola; St. Paul's Rocks (Ref. 13121); Cape Verde (Ref. 34514). Indo-Pacific: scattered records from the Red Sea and Natal, South Africa (Ref. 5578) to China, New Zealand, and the Caroline, Hawaiian, Phoenix and Line islands. Eastern Pacific: southern Baja California, Mexico to northern Chile. Highly migratory species, Annex I of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea (Ref. 26139).

Range

42°N - 43°S, 169°W - 180°E

Environment

Climate

Subtropical

Water Temperature From

23 °C

Water Temperature To

24 °C

Depth From - meters

0 m

Depth To - meters

4000 m

Zone

reef-associated

Environment

Marine; reef-associated; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 4000 m (Ref. 55180), usually 0 - 500 m (Ref. 6871)

Trophic Level

4.5 s.e. 0.64 Based on diet studies.

Occurs in Marine / Salt water

True

Occurs in Brackish water

False

Occurs in Fresh Water

False

Occurs on Reefs

True

Is kept in Aquariums

False

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length

350 cm

Common Length

250 cm

Phylogenetic Diversity Index

PD50 = 0.5000 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses

Fisheries: highly commercial

Vulnerability

Very high vulnerability (79 of 100)

Resilience

Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (rm=0.054; K=0.05-0.15; tm=6-10; tmax=25; Fec=2-14)

Threat To Humans

Traumatogenic (Ref. 9997)

IUCN Red List Status

Near Threatened (NT)

Silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) fish species and information / pictures of Silky shark - Carcharhinus falciformis

Silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) fish species information

Classification

Distribution

Environment

Physical Size and Genetics

Human Uses and Population