Sealife guideThe copper sharkCarcharhinus brachyurus

Taxonomy

Common name: Copper shark, bronze whaler, narrow tooth shark
French name: Requin cuivre
Spanish name: Tiburón cobrizo
Scientific name: Carcharhinus brachyurus (Günther, 1870)
Family name: Carcharhinidae
Order name: Carcharhiniformes
Class name: Elasmobranchii

Description

The copper shark is a large shark species that can grow up to 10.8 feet in length and displays a color ranging from bronze to grayish-copper.

The copper shark (Carcharhinus brachyurus) © Angela Perryman | Dreamstime.com

Habitat

Preferring coastal waters, the copper shark is often observed near estuaries and shores, but it can also be found in deeper waters, down to approximately 328 feet.

Diet

The copper shark feeds on a wide variety of prey, including fish and cephalopods, and it occasionally hunts in groups within large schools of pelagic fish, such as sardine shoals.

Reproduction

The copper shark is a species of viviparous shark.

Did you know ?

The copper shark is listed as many other marine species within The IUCN Red List of threatened species. The copper shark appears in the IUCN Red List since 2020 within the category Vulnerable !

Within the same genus

Blacktip shark
(Carcharhinus limbatus)

Bull shark
(Carcharhinus leucas)

Galapagos shark
(Carcharhinus galapagensis)

Grey reef shark
(Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos)

Silvertip shark
(Carcharhinus albimarginatus)

Oceanic whitetip shark
(Carcharhinus longimanus)

Blacktip reef shark
(Carcharhinus melanopterus)

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

Small-spotted catshark
(Scyliorhinus canicula)

Horn shark
(Heterodontus francisci)

Zebra bullhead shark
(Heterodontus zebra)

Hammerhead shark
(9 espèces)

Nurse shark
(Ginglymostoma cirratum)

Japanese wobbegong
(Orectolobus japonicus)

Ornate wobbegong
(Orectolobus ornatus)

Coral catshark
(Atelomycterus marmoratus)

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