Sharks Codexery

Lost shark

A possibly extinct requiem shark known from only three old specimens.

Last updated

The lost shark is a whaler shark known from only three preserved specimens, all collected over 80 years ago.[1][2] It lived in coastal waters of the western Pacific, near Borneo, Vietnam, and Thailand.[1][2] No living individual has been seen in decades, and the species may already be extinct.[3][4]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassChondrichthyes
  4. SubclassElasmobranchii
  5. DivisionSelachii
  6. OrderCarcharhiniformes
  7. FamilyCarcharhinidae
  8. GenusCarcharhinus
  9. SpeciesCarcharhinus obsoletus

Named by White, Kyne, & Harris, 2019

Close relatives

Other species of Carcharhinus with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Lost shark (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 1523902 (CC BY 4.0)

Conservation status

Critically Endangered (CR)

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR▲ this species
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2020

Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category

Where the lost shark has been recorded

Where the lost shark has been recordedPlaces named in the text; marked places: BorneoBorneo

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Quick Facts

Scientific name
Carcharhinus obsoletus
Family
Carcharhinidae
Known specimens
3
Known locations
Borneo, Vietnam, Thailand
Region
Western Central Pacific Ocean, southern South China Sea
Conservation status
Critically Endangered or Possibly Extinct (IUCN Red List, 2020)

Facts from the source article.

Description

The three known specimens were originally thought to be smalltail sharks, but subtle differences in their body shape showed they belonged to a separate species.[1] One of the three specimens was an embryo.[2] The lost shark differs from other whaler sharks in where its second dorsal fin sits compared to its anal fin, and it has fewer vertebrae than its relatives.[1]

Biology and ecology

Like other members of its subgroup, the lost shark likely had limited fecundity, meaning it probably gave birth to few young at a time.[3] It probably lived in shallow waters that are easily reached by fishermen.[3]

Human interactions

The lost shark belongs to a group of whaler sharks that are economically important for fisheries around the world.[2] Its shallow-water habitat and low reproduction rate put it at heavy risk of extinction from overfishing.[3] Surveys of fish markets over the past few decades have never turned up a lost shark.[2] There is still a small hope it may survive, because a related species, the Borneo shark, was rediscovered in 2004 after a long period with no sightings.[3]

Taxonomy and phylogeny

The lost shark was formally described as a new species in 2019 by scientists William T. White, Peter M. Kyne, and Mark Harris.[5][6]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Lost shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Harris, "Lost before found: A new species of whaler shark Carcharhinus obsolerus from the Western Central Pacific known only from historic records", PLOS ONE, 2019-01-02; Gabbatiss, "New 'lost' shark species may already be extinct due to overfishing", The Independent, 4 January 2019 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Gabbatiss, "New 'lost' shark species may already be extinct due to overfishing", The Independent, 4 January 2019. facts only, no text reused. independent.co.uk
  3. Wikipedia, "Lost shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Harris, "Lost before found: A new species of whaler shark Carcharhinus obsolerus from the Western Central Pacific known only from historic records", PLOS ONE, 2019-01-02; "European bison recovering, 31 species declared Extinct – IUCN Red List", IUCN, 2020-12-10 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. "European bison recovering, 31 species declared Extinct – IUCN Red List", IUCN, 2020-12-10. facts only, no text reused. iucn.org
  5. William T. White, "Lost before found: A new species of whaler shark Carcharhinus obsolerus from the Western Central Pacific known only from historic records", PLoS ONE (2019), doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0209387. OpenAlex metadata CC0; paper not read. doi.org
  6. World Register of Marine Species, Carcharhinus obsoletus (AphiaID 1523902). CC BY 4.0. marinespecies.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Lost shark (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Same family (Carcharhinidae)

Atlantic sharpnose shark Rhizoprionodon terraenovaeBorneo broadfin shark Lamiopsis tephrodesBrazilian sharpnose shark Rhizoprionodon lalandiiBroadfin shark Lamiopsis temminckiiGanges shark Glyphis gangeticus

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Requiem sharkAbdouniaBlue sharkRiver sharkWhitetip reef sharkCarcharhinusAustralian blacktip sharkBignose sharkBlacknose sharkBlackspot sharkBlacktip reef sharkBlacktip shark

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Nurse shark · Carpet sharksZebra shark · Carpet sharksFrilled shark · Dogfish sharks and relativesCookiecutter shark · Dogfish sharks and relativesGreat hammerhead · Hammerhead sharksThresher shark · Mackerel sharks

Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. What is the scientific name of the lost shark?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Carcharhinus obsoletus.

From the source: “The lost shark (Carcharhinus obsoletus), previously known as the false smalltail shark, is a possibly extinct species of requiem shark (family Carcharhinidae).”

2. What is the IUCN Red List category of the lost shark?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Critically Endangered.

From the source: “But in 2020, the IUCN Red List declared the lost shark to be Critically Endangered or Possibly Extinct.”

3. To which genus does the lost shark belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Carcharhinus.

From the source: “The lost shark (Carcharhinus obsoletus), previously known as the false smalltail shark, is a possibly extinct species of requiem shark (family Carcharhinidae).”

More questions on TriviaCafe

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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