Dusky shark (Carcharhinus obscurus) fish species and Dusky shark information

Scientific Name
Carcharhinus obscurus

Common Name
Dusky shark

Biology
Found in coastal and offshore waters but not oceanic (Ref. 5578). Adults are commonly found at depths of 200-400 m, young in shallower waters (Ref. 5485). A seasonal migratory species over parts of its range (Ref. 6871). Common component of the catch of the shark longline fishery (Ref.58048). Feeds on bottom and pelagic bony fish, sharks, skates, rays, cephalopods, gastropods, crustaceans, sometimes mammalian carrion and inorganic objects (Ref. 5578). Viviparous (Ref. 50449). Large adults are potentially dangerous (Ref. 4716, 6871). Utilized fresh, dried-salted, frozen and smoked for human consumption; hides for leather; fins for sharks-fin soup; and liver oil extracted for vitamins (Ref. 244).

Classification

Classified By

Lesueur, 1818

Class

Sharks and Rays (Elasmobranchii)

Order

Ground sharks (Carcharhiniformes)

Family

Requiem sharks (Carcharhinidae)

Distribution

Region

Western Atlantic

Distribution

Western Atlantic: southern Massachusetts to Florida (USA), Georges Bank, Bahamas, Cuba, northern Gulf of Mexico, Nicaragua, southern Brazil and Uruguay (Ref. 58839). Eastern Atlantic: Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Senegal, Sierra Leone. Some records from the Mediterranean and Madeira may be based on Carcharhinus galapagensis. Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea (Ref. 5485), Mozambique and South Africa to Japan, China, Viet Nam and Australia. Eastern Pacific: southern California, USA to Gulf of California and the Revillagigedo Island. Highly migratory species, Annex I of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea (Ref. 26139).

Range

45°N - 46°S, 120°W - 156°E

Environment

Climate

Subtropical

Water Temperature From

Unknown °C

Water Temperature To

Unknown °C

Depth From - meters

0 m

Depth To - meters

400 m

Zone

reef-associated

Environment

Marine; brackish; reef-associated; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 400 m (Ref. 244), usually 200 - 400 m

Trophic Level

4.49 s.e. 0.76 Based on diet studies.

Occurs in Marine / Salt water

True

Occurs in Brackish water

True

Occurs in Fresh Water

False

Occurs on Reefs

True

Is kept in Aquariums

False

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length

420 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: commercial; gamefish: yes

Vulnerability

Very high vulnerability (88 of 100)

Resilience

Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (rm=0.02; also Musick et al. 2000 (Ref. 36717))

Threat To Humans

Traumatogenic (Ref. 4690)

IUCN Red List Status

Vulnerable (VU) (A2bd)

Dusky shark (Carcharhinus obscurus) fish species and information / pictures of Dusky shark - Carcharhinus obscurus

Dusky shark (Carcharhinus obscurus) fish species information

Classification

Distribution

Environment

Physical Size and Genetics

Human Uses and Population