Caribbean reef shark
A large apex predator common on Caribbean coral reefs.
The Caribbean reef shark (Carcharhinus perezi) is a requiem shark from the family Carcharhinidae. It lives in the western Atlantic Ocean's tropical waters, ranging from Florida down to Brazil, and it's the reef shark you're most likely to spot in the Caribbean Sea. With a sturdy, streamlined body like other requiem sharks, it's tough to tell apart from close relatives such as the dusky shark and the silky shark. You can identify it by its dusky fins (which lack bold markings), a short free rear tip on the second dorsal fin, and specific tooth shapes and counts. It reaches up to 3 meters (9.8 feet) long, making it one of the biggest apex predators on the reef, where it hunts fish and cephalopods. Unusually for an active swimmer, it has been seen resting motionless on the seafloor or inside caves. If threatened, it may put on a threat display—switching directions quickly and lowering its pectoral fins. Like other requiem sharks, it gives live birth; females produce 4 to 6 pups every other year. These sharks are caught for their meat, leather, liver oil, and fishmeal, but lately they've become more valuable as an ecotourism draw. In places like the Bahamas, divers use bait to lure them in for controversial "shark feedings." The species has been linked to a small number of human attacks, which tend to happen in spring and summer.
Quick Facts
- Genus
- Carcharhinus
- Species
- perezi
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Caribbean reef shark was originally described as Platypodon perezi by Felipe Poey in 1876, based on six individuals caught off Cuba. It is difficult to tell apart from other large requiem sharks such as the dusky shark and silky shark; distinguishing characteristics include dusky-colored fins without prominent markings, a short free rear tip on the second dorsal fin, and tooth shape and number. The earliest fossil teeth are known from the Early Miocene of northern Brazil, Delaware, and Venezuela, with additional fossils from the Late Miocene of Portugal and the Pliocene of Italy.
This species is one of the least-studied large requiem sharks despite its abundance. It has been documented resting motionless on the sea bottom or inside caves, unusual behavior for an active-swimming shark. If threatened, it may perform a threat display involving frequent changes in direction and dipping its pectoral fins. Juveniles tend to remain in a localized area throughout the year, while adults range over a wider area. Reproduction is viviparous, with females giving birth to 4–6 young every other year after a one-year gestation.
The Caribbean reef shark feeds on a variety of reef-dwelling bony fishes and cephalopods, as well as some elasmobranchs such as eagle rays and yellow stingrays. It is attracted to low-frequency sounds indicative of struggling fish. Young sharks feed on small fishes, shrimps, and crabs. The species is capable of everting its stomach, likely to cleanse indigestible particles and parasites.
Reader's Guide
The Caribbean reef shark is of some importance to fisheries as a source of meat, leather, liver oil, and fishmeal, but recently it has become more valuable as an ecotourist attraction. In the Bahamas and elsewhere, bait is used to attract them to groups of divers in controversial 'shark feedings'. Normally shy or indifferent to divers, the species can become aggressive in the presence of food and grows sufficiently large to be considered potentially dangerous. As of 2008, the International Shark Attack File lists 27 attacks attributable to this species, 4 of them unprovoked, with attacks usually happening in spring and summer. Despite its abundance, it remains one of the least-studied large requiem sharks, and more work is required to fully resolve its interrelationships within the genus Carcharhinus. The species is believed to play a major role in shaping Caribbean reef communities.
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