Creek whaler
A small, stocky requiem shark endemic to northern Australia.
The creek whaler (Carcharhinus fitzroyensis) is a requiem shark found only in northern Australia. It lives in shallow coastal waters and estuaries. This small, sturdy shark typically reaches 1.0–1.3 meters (3.3–4.3 ft) in length, has a brownish color without noticeable fin markings, and can be recognized by its long snout, large triangular pectoral fins, and a large first dorsal fin positioned toward the front of its body.
Its diet consists mainly of small bony fish and crustaceans. The species is viviparous, with embryos nourished through a placental connection. Mating occurs from May to July, and after a gestation period of seven to nine months, females give birth to one to seven pups each year. A small number of creek whalers are caught accidentally in inshore gillnets and used for food, but fishing appears to have little impact on their population. Consequently, the IUCN lists this species as Least Concern.
Quick Facts
- Genus
- Carcharhinus
- Species
- fitzroyensis
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The creek whaler was described by Australian ichthyologist Gilbert Percy Whitley in a 1943 volume of Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. He assigned the new species to the subgenus Uranganops of the genus Galeolamna, and gave it the specific epithet fitzroyensis because the type specimen, a 1.2-m-long female, was collected from Connor's Creek in the Fitzroy River estuary. Subsequent authors have synonymized Galeolamna with Carcharhinus. The evolutionary relationships of the creek whaler have yet to be fully resolved; various studies have placed it near the whitecheek shark and blackspot shark, or close to the nervous shark and blacktip reef shark, or as the basal member of a clade containing the graceful shark, blacktip shark, and Australian blacktip shark.
Reader's Guide
The creek whaler is a minor bycatch of inshore gillnet fisheries operating in northern Australia; the meat is sold for human consumption. Given its relatively high reproductive rate, its population appears capable of withstanding present levels of fishing. Therefore, the IUCN has listed this species under Least Concern. The species is common in its restricted range between Gladstone in central Queensland and Cape Cuvier in Western Australia, inhabiting estuaries and inshore waters from the intertidal zone to a depth of at least 40 m. Its diet consists mainly of small teleost fishes and crustaceans, and it is viviparous with a defined mating season from May to July. The creek whaler can be identified by its long snout, large triangular pectoral fins, and large anteriorly positioned first dorsal fin.
Did You Know?
- The creek whaler is endemic to northern Australia, between Gladstone in central Queensland and Cape Cuvier in Western Australia.
- It was described by Gilbert Percy Whitley in 1943 based on a female specimen from Connor's Creek in the Fitzroy River estuary.
- Females give birth to one to seven pups annually after a gestation period of seven to 9 months.
- The species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN because its population appears capable of withstanding present levels of fishing.
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