Where Galapagos shark has been recorded
GBIF occurrence records for Carcharhinus galapagensis, mapped and tabulated by country.
Last updated
Distribution map plotted from GBIF.org occurrence records; basemap Natural Earth 110m · GBIF records CC0 / CC BY; Natural Earth public domain
2,782 georeferenced occurrence records with coordinates are published for Carcharhinus galapagensis through GBIF, from 25 countries or marine areas. This page maps those records and lists where they come from. Occurrence records reflect where people have looked as well as where the species lives, so well-surveyed coastlines are over-represented.
Quick Facts
- Georeferenced records
- 2,782
- Mapped locations
- 142
- Inland records omitted
- 12
- Gbif taxonkey
- 2417964
Facts from the source article.
Countries and areas with the most records (GBIF)
Australia — 1,239 records; United States of America — 598 records; Ecuador — 302 records; Colombia — 205 records; Mexico — 123 records; United States Minor Outlying Islands — 64 records; Norfolk Island — 54 records; Chile — 51 records; New Zealand — 36 records; United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — 18 records; Brazil — 14 records; Svalbard and Jan Mayen — 13 records; Costa Rica — 12 records; Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha — 12 records; France — 10 records.
Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2417964) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2417964&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY). Accessed 2026-09-25.
Marine regions with a WoRMS distribution record
European waters (ERMS scope); Madagascar; New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone; Azores Exclusive Economic Zone; Western Indian Ocean.
Source: WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=105790 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.
How to read this map
The map plots a sample of 2,782 of the 2,782 records, deduplicated to a half-degree grid, so dense areas do not merge into one blob. The sample covers 25 of the 25 countries or areas with records; the areas absent from the sample hold 0 records in total.
12 records plotting inland were omitted: for a marine species those are almost always the holding institution's coordinates rather than a collection site.
Records show where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.
Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2417964) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2417964&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=105790 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-25.
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