 There are around 51 species of small to large sharks in this family. They are found in tropical and temperate waters around the world.
They have sharp, blade-like teeth; torpedo-shaped bodies; two dorsal fins; an anal fin; five gill slits; and nictitating eyelids. Their first dorsal fin is placed in front of their
pelvic
fins.
Sharks in this family are usually gray to brown in color and include the tiger shark, the lemon shark, the blue shark, and the bull shark. The tiger shark, at around 24 feet in length, is the largest member of this family.
Carcharhinidae Photo Gallery
World Status Key
 Least Concern  Near Threatened  Vulnerable  Endangered  Critically Endangered  Extinct in the Wild  Extinct
Status and range is taken from ICUN Redlist. If no status is listed, there is not enough data to establish status.
US Status Key
 Threatened in US  Threatened in NH  Endangered in US  Endangered in NH
Status taken from US Fish and Wildlife and NH Fish and Game
Location Key
 Africa  Antarctic  Asia  Australia/Oceania  Europe  North America  South America  NH Species
 Atlantic Ocean  Indian Ocean  Mediterranean/Black Sea  Pacific Ocean  Click for More Info  Click for Image
New Hampshire Species |
Atlantic Sharpnose Shark - Rhizoprionodon terraenovae
Blue Shark - Prionace glauca
Oceanic Whitetip Shark - Carcharhinus longimanus
Dusky Shark - Carcharhinus obscurus
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North/Central American Species |
Blacknose Shark - Carcharhinus acronotus
Silvertip Shark - Carcharhinus albimarginatus
Bignose Shark - Carcharhinus altimus
Gray Reef Shark - Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos
Narrowtooth Shark - Carcharhinus brachyurus
Spinner Shark - Carcharhinus brevipinna
Silky Shark - Carcharhinus falciformis
Galapagos Shark - Carcharhinus galapagensis
Finetooth Shark - Carcharhinus isodon
Bull Shark - Carcharhinus leucas
Blacktip Shark - Carcharhinus limbatus
Caribbean Reef Shark - Carcharhinus perezi
Sandbar Shark - Carcharhinus plumbeus
Smalltail Shark - Carcharhinus porosus
Night Shark - Carcharhinus signatus
Tiger Shark - Galeocerdo cuvier
Daggernose Shark - Isogomphodon oxyrhynchus
Whitenose Shark - Nasolamia velox
Lemon Shark - Negaprion brevirostris
White-eyed Shark - Rhizoprionodon acutus
Brazilian Sharpnose Shark - Rhizoprionodon lalandii
Pacific Sharpnose Shark - Rhizoprionodon longurio
Caribbean Sharpnose Shark - Rhizoprionodon porosus
Whitetip Reef Shark -Triaenodon obesus |
Species Around the World |
Graceful Shark - Carcharhinus amblyrhynchoides
Pigeye Shark - Carcharhinus amboinensis
Borneo Shark - Carcharhinus borneensis
Nervous Shark - Carcharhinus cautus
Whitecheek Shark - Carcharhinus dussumieri
Creek Whaler - Carcharhinus fitzroyensis
Pondicherry Shark - Carcharhinus hemiodon
Smoothtooth Blacktip Shark - Carcharhinus leiodon
Hardnose Shark - Carcharhinus macloti
Blacktip Reef Shark - Carcharhinus melanopterus
Blackspot Shark - Carcharhinus sealei
Spottail Shark - Carcharhinus sorrah
Australian Blacktip Shark - Carcharhinus tilstoni
Ganges Shark - Glyphis gangeticus
New Guinea River Shark - Glyphis garricki
Speartooth Shark - Glyphis glyphis
Irrawaddy River Shark - Glyphis siamensis
Broadfin Shark - Lamiopsis temmincki
Jordan's Blue Dogshark - Loxodon macrorhinus
Sicklefin Lemon Shark - Negaprion acutidens
Gray Sharpnose Shark - Rhizoprionodon oligolinx
Australian Sharpnose Shark - Rhizoprionodon taylori
Spadenose Shark - Scoliodon laticaudus
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Additional Information
Key:  Profile  Photos  Video  Audio
Blacknose Shark - Carcharhinus acronotus
The blacknose shark is found in the western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina south to Brazil.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Silvertip Shark - Carcharhinus albimarginatus
In North America, the silvertip shark is found from southern Baja, California, Mexico south to Colombia.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Silvertip Shark - Carcharhinus albimarginatus
The silvertip shark is 6-8 feet in length.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Bignose Shark - Carcharhinus altimus
In the western Atlantic Ocean, the bignose shark can be found from New Jersey south to Venezuela. In the eastern Pacific Ocean it is found from the Gulf of California, Mexico, south to Colombia and Ecuador. It is also found in Hawaii.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Graceful Shark - Carcharhinus amblyrhynchoides
The graceful shark is found in tropical waters of the Indian and west Pacific oceans.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Gray Reef Shark - Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos
The gray reef shark is one of the most common reef sharks in the Pacific Ocean. In the U.S., they are found off the coast of Hawaii.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Gray Reef Shark - Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos
The gray reef shark is found near the surface of tropical oceans
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Narrowtooth Shark - Carcharhinus brachyurus
In North America, the narrowtooth shark is found from North Carolina south to Brazil. It is also found in the Gulf of Mexico. On the Pacific Coast, it is found from southern California south to Mexico.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Narrowtooth Shark - Carcharhinus brachyurus
The narrowtooth shark is also known as the bronze whaler.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Nervous Shark - Carcharhinus cautus
The nervous shark is found in the waters off of Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.
Source: Queensland Government Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Whitecheek Shark - Carcharhinus dussumieri
The whitecheek shark is found from the Arabian Gulf east to to Taiwan and Japan and south to Indonesia and northern Australia.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Silky Shark - Carcharhinus falciformis
The silky shark is found in oceans around the world. In the western Atlantic, the silky shark is found from Massachusetts to Brazil. In the eastern Pacific, it is found from Baja California south to Peru. It is also found in Hawaii.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Silky Shark - Carcharhinus falciformis
The silky shark gets its name from its sleek, silvery skin.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Galapagos Shark - Carcharhinus galapagensis
The Galapagos shark is found in tropical water around the world. It prefers the waters around ocean islands.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Galapagos Shark - Carcharhinus galapagensis
The Galapagos shark was first identified off of the Galapagos Islands.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Galapagos Shark - Carcharhinus galapagensis
The Galapagos shark arches its back, lowers its pectoral fins, and swims in figure-eights when it is threatened by a predator.
Source: Monterey Bay Aquarium Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Galapagos Shark - Carcharhinus galapagensis
The Galapagos shark is around 10 feet in length.
Source: Enchanted Learning Intended Audience: Students Reading Level: Elementary School
Finetooth Shark - Carcharhinus isodon
The finetooth shark is found in western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina south to Cuba and southern Brazil. It is also found in the Gulf of Mexico.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Finetooth Shark - Carcharhinus isodon
The finetooth shark is around 6 feet in length.
Source: NOAA Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
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Bull Shark - Carcharhinus leucas
The bull shark is found in tropical to subtropical coastal waters around the world. It is also found in river systems and some freshwater lakes.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Bull Shark - Carcharhinus leucas
The bull shark can survive in both freshwater and saltwater environments.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Bull Shark - Carcharhinus leucas
The bull shark can be very aggressive.
Source: National Geographic Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Bull Shark - Carcharhinus leucas
The bull shark has a wide body and a wide snout.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Bull Shark - Carcharhinus leucas
Off the Atlantic coast of the U.S., bull sharks are found from Massachusetts to the Gulf of Mexico. Off the Pacific coast of the U.S., bull sharks are found from southern California to the Gulf of California.
Source: NOAA Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Bull Shark - Carcharhinus leucas
The male bull shark is around 7 feet in length. The female is around 11.5 feet in length.
Source: Enchanted Learning Intended Audience: Students Reading Level: Elementary School
Blacktip Shark - Carcharhinus limbatus
The blacktip shark is found in tropical to subtropical coastal, shelf, and island waters around the world.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Blacktip Shark - Carcharhinus limbatus
Off the east coast of the U.S., blacktip sharks are found from New England to Mexico. They most commonly found between North Carolina and Texas.
Source: NOAA Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Blacktip Shark - Carcharhinus limbatus
The blacktip shark is named for the black tips on its fins.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Blacktip Shark - Carcharhinus limbatus
The blacktip shark sometimes leaps above the water and crashes back down. It does this to strike at school of bony fish near the surface of the water.
Source: National Geographic Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Blacktip Shark - Carcharhinus limbatus
The blacktip shark has a long, pointed snout and small eyes.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Oceanic Whitetip Shark - Carcharhinus longimanus
The oceanic whitetip shark is found in tropical to subtropical waters around the world. It is found from Maine to Argentina in the western Atlantic Ocean. In the eastern Pacific it is found from southern California to Peru.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Oceanic Whitetip Shark - Carcharhinus longimanus
The oceanic whitetip shark has a large, rounded dorsal fin tipped in white.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Blacktip Reef Shark - Carcharhinus melanopterus
The blacktip reef shark is found in tropical waters in the Indian and the Pacific Oceans.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Blacktip Reef Shark - Carcharhinus melanopterus
The blacktip reef shark's fins are tipped in black.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Blacktip Reef Shark - Carcharhinus melanopterus
The blacktip reef shark is about 6 feet in length.
Source: Enchanted Learning Intended Audience: Students Reading Level: Elementary School
Blacktip Reef Shark - Carcharhinus melanopterus
Blacktip reef sharks live in shallow lagoons and on coral reefs.
Source: Shedd Aquarium Intended Audience: Students Reading Level: Middle School
Blacktip Reef Shark - Carcharhinus melanopterus
Blacktip reef sharks are easily frightened.
Source: Monterey Bay Aquarium Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Blacktip Reef Shark - Carcharhinus melanopterus
Blacktip reef sharks are not aggressive, but they are curious and will approach divers.
Source: Aquarium of the Pacific Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Dusky Shark - Carcharhinus obscurus
The dusky shark is found along continental coastlines in tropical and temperate waters in oceans around the world.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Dusky Shark - Carcharhinus obscurus
The dusky shark is a large shark with a slender body and a rounded snout.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Dusky Shark - Carcharhinus obscurus
The dusky shark is a long-distance seasonal migrator. Males and females migrate in separate groups.
Source: National Geographic Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Caribbean Reef Shark - Carcharhinus perezi
The Caribbean reef shark is found in waters off Florida, Bermuda, the northern Gulf of Mexico, Yucatan, Cuba, Jamaica, Bahamas, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Caribbean Reef Shark - Carcharhinus perezi
The Caribbean reef shark preys on bony fish and large crustaceans.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Sandbar Shark - Carcharhinus plumbeus
The sandbar shark is found in coastal temperate and tropical waters in oceans around the world.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Sandbar Shark - Carcharhinus plumbeus
The sandbar shark is often found on muddy or sandy flats in bays, harbors, estuaries and river mouths.
Source:Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Sandbar Shark - Carcharhinus plumbeus
The sandbar shark is a stocky shark with a large dorsal fin.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Sandbar Shark - Carcharhinus plumbeus
The sandbar shark bears live young.
Source: Monterey Bay Aquarium Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Sandbar Shark - Carcharhinus plumbeus
The sandbar shark is 6.5-8 feet in length.
Source: Aquarium of the Pacific Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Smalltail Shark - Carcharhinus porosus
The smalltail shark is found in shallow coastal waters in the western Atlantic Ocean from the northern Gulf of Mexico to southern Brazil and in the eastern Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California south to Peru.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Night Shark - Carcharhinus signatus
The night shark is found in coastal waters from Delaware to Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Brazil, and along the west coast of Africa.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Night Shark - Carcharhinus signatus
The night shark is up to 9 feet in length.
Source: NOAA Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Hardnose Shark - Carcharhinus macloti
The hardnose shark is found across the Indo-West Pacific from Kenya to Asia and Australia.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Spinner Shark - Carcharhinus brevipinna
The spinner shark gets its name from the spinning leaps it takes out of the water.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Spinner Shark - Carcharhinus brevipinna
In the U.S., the spinner shark is found in the western Atlantic from North Carolina to the northern Gulf of Mexico and the Bahamas.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Tiger Shark - Galeocerdo cuvier
The tiger shark is found in temperate and tropical waters around the world, with the exception of the Mediterranean Sea.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Tiger Shark - Galeocerdo cuvier
Juvenile tiger sharks have tiger-like stripes that fade as they get older.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Tiger Shark - Galeocerdo cuvier
Tiger sharks are one of the top three sharks implicated in unprovoked fatal attacks throughout the world.
Source: NOAA Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Tiger Shark - Galeocerdo cuvier
Tiger sharks will eat just about anything including fish, turtles, marine mammals, sea birds, garbage, and even car license plates.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Tiger Shark - Galeocerdo cuvier
The tiger shark is 10-14 feet in length.
Source: National Geographic Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Tiger Shark - Galeocerdo cuvier
The tiger shark is solitary.
Source: Enchanted Learning Intended Audience: Students Reading Level: Elementary School
Speartooth Shark - Glyphis glyphis
The speartooth shark is found in tidal rivers and estuaries in the Northern Territory and Queensland, Australia. It has also been recorded in the Fly River in Papua New Guinea.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Speartooth Shark - Glyphis glyphis
The speartooth shark's lower teeth are long and narrow with spear-like tips.
Source: Queensland Government Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Speartooth Shark - Glyphis glyphis
When fully mature, the speartooth shark is thought to be between 6-9 feet in length.
Source: Australian Government Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Sickelfin Lemon Shark - Negaprion acutidens
The sickelfin lemon shark is found in tropical waters in the Indian Ocean and the west and central Pacific Ocean.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Sickelfin Lemon Shark - Negaprion acutidens
The sickelfin lemon shark is also known as the sharptooth lemon shark.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Lemon Shark - Negaprion brevirostris
The lemon shark is found coastal inshore waters from New Jersey to Southern Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico and the the Caribbean in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean and along Senegal and the Ivory Coast of Africa in the eastern Atlantic. In the North Pacific, the lemon shark is found from the Gulf of California and Baja California south to Ecuador.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Lemon Shark - Negaprion brevirostris
The lemon shark is pale yellow-brown to gray.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Lemon Shark - Negaprion brevirostris
The lemon shark is 7-12 feet in length.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Lemon Shark - Negaprion brevirostris
The lemon shark eats fish, mollusks, and crustaceans.
Source: Enchanted Learning Intended Audience: Students Reading Level: Elementary School
Lemon Shark - Negaprion brevirostris
Lemon sharks are bottom dwellers and prefer shallow tropical shallow waters.
Source: BBC Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Blue Shark - Prionace glauca
The blue shark is found in temperate and tropical waters around the world. They are pelagic and rarely come near the shore.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Blue Shark - Prionace glauca
The blue shark is a deep indigo blue on its back and bright blue on its sides.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Blue Shark - Prionace glauca
The blue shark has a pointed snout and huge eyes.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Blue Shark - Prionace glauca
The blue shark is a very fast swimmer.
Source: Enchanted Learning Intended Audience: Students Reading Level: Elementary School
Pacific Sharpnose Shark - Rhizoprionodon longurio
The Pacific sharpnose shark is found along the Pacific Coast from southern California to Peru.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Caribbean Sharpnose Shark - Rhizoprionodon porosus
The Caribbean sharpnose shark is found in the western Atlantic Ocean from the Caribbean south to Uruguay.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Atlantic Sharpnose Shark - Rhizoprionodon terraenovae
The Atlantic sharpnose shark is found from New Brunswick, Canada south through the Gulf of Mexico. It is also found along the coast of Brazil.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Atlantic Sharpnose Shark - Rhizoprionodon terraenovae
The Atlantic sharpnose shark is 2-4 feet in length.
Source: Enchanted Learning Intended Audience: Students Reading Level: Elementary School
Whitetip Reef Shark -Triaenodon obesus
The whitetip reef shark is found in the Indian and Pacific oceans. In the U.S., it is found in the waters off of Hawaii.
Source: Florida Museum of Natural History Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Whitetip Reef Shark -Triaenodon obesus
The whitetip reef shark lives in and around coral reefs.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Whitetip Reef Shark -Triaenodon obesus
The whitetip reef shark has a white tip on its dorsal and upper tail fin. it sometimes has white tips on other fins.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Whitetip Reef Shark -Triaenodon obesus
The whitetip reef shark has a long, narrow body that helps it swim around crevices and caves in coral reefs.
Source: Monterey Bay Aquarium Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Whitetip Reef Shark -Triaenodon obesus
The whitetip reef shark is 5-7 feet in length.
Source: Aquarium of the Pacific Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
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