Sealife guideThe caribbean reef sharkCarcharhinus perezi
Taxonomy
- Common name: Caribbean reef shark
- French name: Requin de récif des Caraibes, requin caraïbe, requin de récif
- Spanish name: Tiburón coralino
- Scientific name: Carcharhinus perezi (Poey, 1876)
- Family name: Carcharhinidae
- Order name: Carcharhiniformes
- Class name: Elasmobranchii
Description
The Caribbean reef shark can grow up to 10 feet in length and weigh up to 154 pounds. This large streamlined shark has a gray body, a ridge between the dorsal fins and a short blunt snout. Its first dorsal fin is small with a similarly small rear edge.
The Caribbean reef shark is a large, streamlined shark with a gray body
Range
The Caribbean reef shark is widely distributed in all tropical waters in the western Atlantic Ocean, from southern Florida to northern Brazil, including the many islands of the Caribbean. It is especially common in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico where it frequents the many scattered reefs.
The Caribbean reef shark is very common in the Bahamas.
Habitat
The Caribbean reef shark can be found from the surface down to about 200 feet, but it generally prefers depths of no more than 100 feet. As its name suggests, it frequents the reef zones of tropical waters. It typically swims in shallow waters or near the drop-offs on the outer edges of coral reefs.
Diet
The Caribbean reef shark primarily feeds on reef fish from the
Priacanthidae fish family, which are characterized by their large eyes, earning them the nickname « bigeye » in english, as well as on rays and cephalopods.
The Caribbean reef shark frequents coral reefs
Reproduction
The Caribbean reef shark is viviparous. After a gestation period of one year, the female gives birth to about half a dozen young sharks, which are already around 2 feet in length. The young males will reach sexual maturity at around 5.2 feet in length, while females will need to grow between 6.5 to 10 feet before reaching maturity.
Did you know ?
The Caribbean reef shark is consumed by humans in various cooked dishes. Due to overfishing, its population is declining in several areas, and the species is considered near-threatened by the
IUCN !
A common sight in the Bahamas: the Caribbean reef shark !
Within the same genus
Blacktip shark
(Carcharhinus limbatus)
Bull shark
(Carcharhinus leucas)
Sandbar shark
(Carcharhinus plumbeus)
Grey reef shark
(Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos)
Silvertip shark
(Carcharhinus albimarginatus)
Oceanic whitetip shark
(Carcharhinus longimanus)
Dusky shark
(Carcharhinus obscurus)
Silky Shark
(Carcharhinus falciformis)
Within the same family
Blue shark
(Prionace glauca)
Lemon shark
(Negaprion brevirostris)
Whitetip reef shark
(Triaenodon obesus)
Tiger shark
(Galeocerdo cuvier)
Explore also
Longfin mako
(Isurus paucus)
Crested hornshark
(Heterodontus galeatus)
Greenland shark
(Somniosus microcephalus)
Short fin mako
(Isurus oxyrinchus)
Nurse shark
(Ginglymostoma cirratum)
Sand tiger shark
(Carcharias taurus)
Banded houndshark
(Triakis scyllium)
Dark shyshark
(Haploblepharus pictus)
The marine species from Caribbean sea
Atlantic bigeye
(Priacanthus arenatus)
Ballyhoo
(Hemiramphus brasiliensis)
Chocolate chip sea cucumber
(Isostichopus badionotus)
Elkhorn coral
(Acropora palmata)
Gray angelfish
(Pomacanthus arcuatus)
Leatherback sea turtle
(Dermochelys coriacea)
Scrawled cowfish
(Acanthostracion quadricornis)
Short bigeye
(Pristigenys alta)
Dive centers
'Les Ilets' dive center
Noa dive center
