Spot-tail shark
📖 Overview
Found on the continental and insular shelves, primarily near reefs . Sometimes in offshore waters . Live near the seabed during the day and near the surface at night . Feeds on bony fishes . Shark movements often short (50 km) but may be more than 1,000 km . Prefers teleost fishes but also feeds on cephalopods and crustaceans . Viviparous . Regularly caught by local artisanal and small-scale commercial fisheries where it occurs . Utilized as a food fish; fins used in the oriental shark fin trade, liver for vitamin oil, and offal for fishmeal .
🔬 Taxonomy
🐟 Physical Description
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Anal spines: 0. A small, spindle-shaped shark with a long, rounded snout, large circular eyes, and oblique-cusped serrated teeth; 2nd dorsal fin very low; interdorsal ridge present . 2nd dorsal, pectorals and lower caudal lobe with dark tips; 1st dorsal with thin but conspicuous dark tip; pelvic fins and upper caudal lobe plain . Grey or grey-brown above, white below with a golden-brown sheen on the area between eyes and gill slits (in fresh specimens); pectorals, second dorsal, and lower caudal fin lobe with conspicuous black tips, first dorsal and upper caudal fin lobe with black edging . A dark band on flank extending rearwards to pelvic fins .: fusiform / normal.
🌀 Behaviour
Behavioural data for Spot-tail shark is currently being reviewed.
🦐 Diet
🥚 Reproduction
Viviparous, with a yolk-sac placenta . Pups, average 3, range 1-8, are produced in January after a 10-month gestation period. Average length at birth is 50 cm TL. Length increases by about 25 cm during the first year. These sharks breed once each year . Distinct pairing with embrace .
🌍 Habitat & Distribution
Marine; brackish; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 140 m , usually 1 - 73 m . Tropical; 31°N - 31°S West Pacific: Persian Gulf (Ref.
🌿 Ecology
bony fishes (Ref
📐 Morphometrics
🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance
🛡️ Conservation Assessment
📊 Population Risk & Fisheries
🔍 Similar Species
👥 Community & Contribute
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