Silky Shark - Carcharhinus falciformis

SILKY SHARK -Carcharhinus falciformis

WHAT TO LOOK FOR:

A large slim oceanic shark with a moderately long rounded snout and an interdorsal ridge. 

COLOR:

Dark brown to bronze above, white below. The shark has dusky fin tips and a faint white band on its flank.

SIZE:

Males mature when they are about 6 or 7 years of age and attain a length of 6.1 to 7.1 ft [1.87 to 2.18 m] and may reach a length of 9.8 ft [3 m]. Females mature when they are between 7 and 9 years of age and have attained a length of 7 to 7.5 ft [2.13 to 2.3 m], and they may reach a length of at least 10 ft [3.05 m]. The maximum size for this species is 10.8 ft [3.3 m].

TEETH:

The teeth of the upper jaw are serrated and have oblique to erect cusps, and the lower jaw teeth are erect.

HABITAT:

The shark is found near edges of continental and insular shelves as well as the open sea. The shark has been found at a depth of 1,640 ft [500 m], but it also occurs inshore at the surface and in areas where the water is only 18 inches [45 cm] deep. The shark, abundant offshore and inshore, is oceanic, epipelagic and littoral. This species prefers sea temperatures from 73.5º to 75ºF [23º to 24ºC].

DISTRIBUTION:

Circumtropical.

BIOLOGY:

Prey - Pelagic and inshore bony fishes including tuna, albacore mullet and porcupine fish, as well as squid and crabs. 

 

Reproduction - Viviviparous, with a yolk-sac placenta. Litters consist of 2 to 14 pups. Size at birth is 27.5 to 34.25 inches [70 to 87 cm]..

BEHAVIOR:

This is an active, fast and aggressive shark. It is frequently found with schools of tuna. The shark will give way to an oceanic whitetip shark, C. longimanus .

DISPOSITION:

The shark usually ignores divers but make may a threat display when approached by divers, however, it has been implicated in several incidents.