Bronze Whaler Shark - Carcharhinus brachyurus

BRONZE WHALER SHARK - Carcharhinus brachyurus, also known as a Copper shark

WHAT TO LOOK FOR:
A large shark with a long moderately rounded broad snout, and a bulge at the base of the upper caudal fin.

COLOR:
Olive grey to bronze above, white below, most fins with dusky edges. Its flanks have a pale blaze from below the dorsal fin to the tail.

SIZE:
Males mature at 6.6 ft to 7.5 ft [2 to 2.3 m], females mature at 7.9 feet [2.4 m],
maximum length about 9.8 ft [3 m] .

TEETH:
The upper teeth have a distinct outwardly hooked shape.

HABITAT:
Often seen close inshore feeding on schooling fish, frequently within the surf zone. It is also found around offshore islands over deep water and to depths of 100 m.

DISTRIBUTION:

Warm temperate to subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Indo Pacific. It is seasonally migratory in at least part of its range. Along the coast of southern Africa it follows the giant shoals of migrating sardines.

BIOLOGY: 

Prey – Feeds on pelagic, shoaling and bottom bony fishes, cephalopods, smaller sharks, and rays.

Reproduction – Viviparous; females nourish embryos with a yolk-sac placenta and give birth to live young.

BEHAVIOR:
This is an active fast-moving shark, and it can leap out of the water.

DISPOSITION:

This species has been implicated in bites to humans, particularly spearfishermen.