Sandbar shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Elasmobranchii · Order: Carcharhiniformes · Family: Carcharhinidae · Genus: Carcharhinus.

Accepted name: Carcharhinus plumbeus · Authority: (Nardo, 1827) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 105797.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Carcharhinus japonicus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1850); Carcharhinus milberti (Valenciennes, 1839); Carcharhinus platyodon (Poey, 1860); Carcharias ceruleus DeKay, 1842; Carcharias japonicus Temminck & Schlegel, 1850; Carcharias latistomus (Fang & Wang, 1932); Carcharias milberti Valenciennes in Müller & Henle, 1839; Carcharias obtusirostris Moreau, 1881; Carcharias stevensi Ogilby, 1911; Carcharinus latistomus Fang & Wang, 1932; Carcharinus milberti (Valenciennes, 1839); Carcharinus plumbeus (Nardo, 1827); Eulamia milberti (Müller & Henle, 1839); Galeolamna dorsalis Whitley, 1944; Galeolamna stevensi (Ogilby, 1911); Lamna caudata DeKay, 1842; Squalus caecchia Nardo, 1847; Squalus plumbeus Nardo, 1827.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=105797 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

Measured values published by FishBase for Carcharhinus plumbeus. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 300 cm · Common length: 200 cm · Depth range: 0–500 m · Habitat zone: benthopelagic · Body shape: fusiform / normal · Vulnerability index: 86.8 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

FishBase notes: Found inshore and offshore, on continental and insular shelves and adjacent deep water (Ref. 244). Common at bays, river mouths and in harbors; avoids sandy beaches and the surf zone, coral reefs and rough bottom, and surface waters (Ref. 244). Coastal-pelagic, but usually bottom associated at 1-280 m (Ref. 58302). Sometimes in oceanic waters (Ref. 9997). Known to make extended seasonal migrations in some parts of its range (Ref. 6871). Feeds mainly on bony fishes, also small sharks, cephalopods, and shrimps (Ref. 5578), rays and gastropods (Ref. 5213). Youngs feed heavily on crustaceans such as blue crabd and mantis shrimp (Ref. 93252). Viviparous (Ref. 50449). Sexual dimorphism is evident in thickness of skin layer of maturing and adult females (Ref. 49562). Females live as long as 21 year; males 15 years (Ref. 27549). Populations are segregated by age. Young readily kept in aquaria (Ref. 244). Utilized for human consumption, for leather and oil (Ref. 244). Marketed fresh, smoked, dried-salted and frozen; fins are valued for soup (Ref. 9987). Used in Chinese medicine (Ref. 12166). Records to 300 cm TL uncertain (Ref. 9997). TL to 300 cm (Ref. 26938). Angling: an inshore fish and a good light-tackle fighter (Ref. 84357).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 880) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Carcharhinus-plumbeus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

29,467 georeferenced occurrence records for Carcharhinus plumbeus are published through GBIF from 55 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 158 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 52 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.

Most records by country or area: Australia (21,836); United States of America (4,944); Faroe Islands (1,088); Puerto Rico (443); United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (410).

The full country table, WoRMS marine regions and the sampling notes are on this species' Distribution page.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2418009) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2418009&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=105797 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Carcharhinus plumbeus (Nardo, 1827) as Endangered (code EN). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.

Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 3853) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/3853/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2418009) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2418009/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

The earliest fossil teeth of this species are known from the Early Miocene of Italy. They appear on the eastern coast of the US around the Middle Miocene, and in Venezuela around the same time. Fossils become more geographically widespread afterwards.

The sandbar shark is one of the largest coastal sharks in the world, and is closely related to the dusky shark, the bignose shark, and the bull shark. Its dorsal fin is triangular and very high, and it has very long pectoral fins. Sandbar sharks usually have heavy-set bodies and rounded snouts that are shorter than the average shark's snout. Its upper teeth have broadly uneven cusps with sharp edges. Its second dorsal fin and anal fin are close to the same height.

Females can grow to 2–2.5 m (6.6–8.2 ft), males up to 1.8 m (5.9 ft). The maximum recorded weight is 240 kg (530 lb). Female sandbar sharks have an average fork-length (tip of the nose to fork in the tail) of 154.9 cm with the males' average fork-length being 151.6 cm. Its body color can vary from a blue-ish brown, grey or bronze, with a white or pale underside. Sandbar sharks swim alone or gather in sex-segregated schools that vary in size.

The sandbar shark, true to its nickname, is commonly found over muddy or sandy bottoms in shallow coastal waters such as bays, estuaries, harbors, or the mouths of rivers, but it also swims in deeper waters (200 m or more) as well as intertidal zones. Sandbar sharks are found in tropical to temperate waters worldwide; in the western Atlantic they range from Massachusetts to Brazil. Juveniles are common to abundant in the lower Chesapeake Bay, and nursery grounds are found from Delaware Bay to South Carolina. Other nursery grounds include Bonjuk Bay in Marmaris, Muğla/Turkey and the Florida Keys.

Natural predators of the sandbar shark include the tiger shark and, rarely, great white sharks.

The sandbar shark itself preys on fish, rays, crabs, and molluscs. They have also been found to primarily consume osteichthyes, or bony fish, octopuses, european squid, and cuttlefish when in areas such as the Mediterranean or the Gulf of Gabés. Sandbar sharks have been described as being a top predator in their ecosystem's food chain.

There are disagreements about when exactly sandbar sharks reach sexual maturity, but most studies conclude that females reach sexual maturity around 13 years of age, while males tend to reach maturity around age 12 years old. Sandbar sharks are viviparous, with the embryos supported in placental yolk sac inside the mother. Females have been found to exhibit both biennial, consistently reproducing every two years and returning to the same place to have deliver the pup, and triennial, reproducing every three years and returning to the same place for delivery, migration and gestation periods. They also ovulate in early summer, and give birth to an average of eight pups, which they carry for 1 year before giving birth. The longevity of the sandbar shark is typically 35–41 years.

Sandbar sharks have been disproportionately targeted by the U.S. commercial shark fisheries in recent decades due to their high fin-to-body weight ratio, and U.S. fishing regulation requiring carcasses to be landed along with shark fins. In 2008, the National Marine Fisheries Service banned all commercial landings of sandbar sharks based on a 2006 stock assessment by SEDAR, and sandbar sharks were listed as vulnerable, due to overfishing. Currently, a small number of specially permitted vessels fish for sandbar sharks for the purpose of scientific research. All vessels in the research fishery are required to carry an independent researcher while targeting sandbars.

In spite of their large size and similar appearance to other dangerous sharks such as bull sharks, sandbar sharks are not considered to be dangerous to people. Very few attacks are attributed to sandbar sharks. As a result, they are considered one of the safest sharks to swim with and are popular sharks for aquaria. However, on August 2, 2021, a 12-year-old girl was bitten on her leg by a sandbar shark in Ocean City, Maryland, United States. This was confirmed by Ocean City authorities on August 5, 2021. The victim required 42 stitches.

Immune system genes, specifically MHC genes, are under study to understand the adaptive immune system in sharks such as the sandbar. Sandbars contain MHC class I, MHC class IIα, and class IIβ genes. Shark MHC genes are known to be similar to tetrapod rather than fish. Similarities include the lack of cysteines in class IIα1 domains in tetrapods and carcharhinids. Also, there are a fewer number of classical loci in sharks and tetrapods, when compared to other animals.

The New Zealand Department of Conservation has classified the sandbar shark as "Data Deficient" under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.

Source: Wikipedia: Sandbar shark — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandbar_shark (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Gallery