The spot-tail shark, or sorrah shark (''Carcharhinus sorrah''), is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

requiem shark Requiem sharks are sharks of the family Carcharhinidae in the order Carcharhiniformes. They are migratory, live-bearing sharks of warm seas (sometimes of brackish or fresh water) and include such species as the bull shark, lemon shark, blac ...

, in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Carcharhinidae, found in the tropical Indo-West Pacific Ocean between latitudes 31°N and 31°S from the surface to a depth around . This shark grows to about . It is fished commercially over much of its range and the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

considers it to be

near threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been Conservation status, categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as that may be vulnerable to Endangered species, endangerment in the ne ...

Description

The spot-tail shark is a spindle-shaped fish growing to about . It has a fairly long, pointed snout and moderately large eyes. The first dorsal fin is large and curved, while the second dorsal fin is small and low. The back and sides are grey and the belly white, and a long white streak is on the flank. This species can be distinguished from other requiem sharks found in tropical waters by the distinctive black tips to the second dorsal fin, the pectoral fins, and the lower lobe of the caudal fin. A ridge over the spine extends from the first to the second dorsal fin and a pit just in front of the upper lobe of the caudal fin. The upper teeth are serrated, oblique, and triangular. The

Australian blacktip shark The Australian blacktip shark (''Carcharhinus tilstoni'') is a species of requiem shark, in the family (biology), family Carcharhinidae, endemism, endemic to northern and eastern Australia. Favoring the upper and middle parts of the water column ...

(''C. tilstoni''), which occupies a similar range, has similar black tips to the fins, but additionally has a black tip to its first dorsal fin. It lacks the ridge between the two dorsal fins and its upper teeth are also different, being slender, upright, and pointed.

Distribution

The spot-tail shark is found in the tropical Indo-Pacific on

continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (album), an album by Saint Etienne * Continen ...

and insular shelves commonly to a depth around , but possibly as deep as . Its range extends from the East African coast, Madagascar, and the Red Sea to India, Malaysia, China, the Philippines, and northern Australia.

Biology

The spot-tail shark spends the day near the seabed and the night at the surface, most frequently around reefs. It is a

predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

and feeds on bony fish such as

bonito Bonitos are a tribe of medium-sized, ray-finned, predatory fish in the family Scombridae, which it shares with the mackerel, tuna, and Spanish mackerel tribes, and also the butterfly kingfish. Also called the tribe Sardini, it consists of ...

and

sea bass Sea bass is a common name for a variety of species of marine fish. Many fish species of various families have been called sea bass. In Ireland and the United Kingdom, the fish sold and consumed as sea bass is exclusively the European bass, ''Dic ...

, cephalopods, and crustaceans. The spot-tail shark is viviparous with a yolk-sac placenta, giving birth once a year to a litter of one to eight live young. The gestation period is 10 months and the pups measure about at birth. The young develop in shallow inshore waters. They grow rapidly at first, increasing in length by about during their first year, but growth slows down thereafter. Females reach sexual maturity at two to three years and live for a maximum of seven years, while males live up to five years.

Status

The spot-tail shark is caught by line and gillnet in many parts of its range by small-scale commercial fisheries. The flesh is used for food, the liver for vitamins, the fins for

shark fin soup Shark's fin soup is a soup or stewed dish served in parts of China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. The shark fins provide texture, while the taste comes from the other ingredients. It is commonly served at special occasions such as weddings and ba ...

, and the offal for

fish meal Fish meal (sometimes spelled fishmeal) is a commercial product made from whole wild-caught fish, bycatch, and fish by-products to feed farm animals, such as pigs, poultry, and farmed fish.R. D. Miles and F. A. Chapman.FA122: The Benefits of Fish ...

. The

has listed this shark as being

, as it suffers from overfishing throughout much of its range and many populations seem to be in decline. The fisheries in northern Australia are relatively well managed.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q210052 Carcharhinus Fish described in 1839