Sphyrna tiburo

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular names
English : Bonnethead shark
French : Requin-marteau tiburo

Classification
Class : Elasmobranchii
Order : Carcharhiniformes
Family : Sphyrnidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can reach a maximum length of 1.50 m for a weight of over 10 kg. Slender, dorsally slightly flattened body with arc-shaped dorsal fin. Front part of head has a semi-circle shape which is diagnostic. Overall silvery-grey coloration.

Range and habitat
The species occurs in the western Atlantic Ocean, from north USA to Gulf of Mexico, south to Brazil and in the eastern Pacific, from California to Ecuador. Lives in estuaries and bays, over algae mats, muddy and sandy bottoms, to 80 m.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : ENDANGERED
CITES : Appendix II
Status : The species was common to abundant but has dramatically declined in most of its range because of overfishing and habitat loss.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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