Spot-tail shark (Carcharhinus sorrah)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Carcharhinus sorrah · Authority: (Valenciennes, 1839) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 217339.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Carcharhinus bleekeri (Duméril, 1865); Carcharhinus spallanzani (Péron & Lesueur, 1822); Carcharias bleekeri Duméril, 1865; Carcharias sorrah Valenciennes, 1839; Carcharias spallanzani (Péron & Lesueur, 1822); Carcharias taeniatus Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1899; Carcharinus sorrah (Müller & Henle, 1839); Carcharius spallanzani (Péron & Lesueur, 1822); Eulamia spallanzani (Péron & Lesueur, 1822); Galeolamna isobel Whitley, 1947; Squalus spallanzani Péron & Lesueur, 1822.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=217339 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 160 cm · Depth range: 0–140 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: fusiform / normal · Vulnerability index: 50 of 100 · Fishery importance: minor commercial · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

FishBase notes: Found on the continental and insular shelves, primarily near reefs (Ref. 244). Sometimes in offshore waters (Ref. 30573). Live near the seabed during the day and near the surface at night (Ref. 6390). Feeds on bony fishes (Ref. 68964).

Shark movements often short (50 km) but may be more than 1,000 km (Ref. 6390). Prefers teleost fishes but also feeds on cephalopods and crustaceans (Ref. 6871). Viviparous (Ref. 50449). Regularly caught by local artisanal and small-scale commercial fisheries where it occurs (Ref. 244). Utilized as a food fish; fins used in the oriental shark fin trade, liver for vitamin oil, and offal for fishmeal (Ref. 9997).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 884) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Carcharhinus-sorrah.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

9,294 georeferenced occurrence records for Carcharhinus sorrah are published through GBIF from 47 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 173 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 64 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 (8,117); Faroe Islands (514); Malaysia (105); Svalbard and Jan Mayen (97); Indonesia (75).

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

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2418184) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2418184&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=217339 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Carcharhinus sorrah (Valenciennes in Müller & Henle, 1839) as Near Threatened (code NT). 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 161376) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/161376/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2418184) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2418184/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

The species name sorrah originates from சுறா ("sura"), the Tamil word for "shark".

Description

The spot-tail shark is a spindle-shaped fish growing to about 1.6 m. It has a fairly long, pointed snout and moderately large eyes.

The first dorsal fin is large and curved, while the second dorsal fin is small and low. The back and sides are grey and the belly white, and a long white streak is on the flank. This species can be distinguished from other requiem sharks found in tropical waters by the distinctive black tips to the second dorsal fin, the pectoral fins, and the lower lobe of the caudal fin.

A ridge over the spine extends from the first to the second dorsal fin and a pit just in front of the upper lobe of the caudal fin. The upper teeth are serrated, oblique, and triangular. The Australian blacktip shark (C. tilstoni), which occupies a similar range, has similar black tips to the fins, but additionally has a black tip to its first dorsal fin. It lacks the ridge between the two dorsal fins and its upper teeth are also different, being slender, upright, and pointed.

Distribution

The spot-tail shark is found in the tropical Indo-Pacific on continental and insular shelves commonly to a depth around 73 m, but possibly as deep as 140 m. Its range extends from the East African coast, Madagascar, and the Red Sea to India, Malaysia, China, the Philippines, and northern Australia.

Biology

The spot-tail shark spends the day near the seabed and the night at the surface, most frequently around reefs. It is a predator and feeds on bony fish such as bonito and sea bass, cephalopods, and crustaceans.

The spot-tail shark is viviparous with a yolk-sac placenta, giving birth once a year to a litter of one to eight live young. The gestation period is 10 months and the pups measure about 50 cm at birth.

The young develop in shallow inshore waters. They grow rapidly at first, increasing in length by about 20 cm during their first year, but growth slows down thereafter. Females reach sexual maturity at two to three years and live for a maximum of seven years, while males live up to five years.

Status

The spot-tail shark is caught by line and gillnet in many parts of its range by small-scale commercial fisheries. The flesh is used for food, the liver for vitamins, the fins for shark fin soup, and the offal for fish meal. The IUCN has listed this shark as being near threatened, as it suffers from overfishing throughout much of its range and many populations seem to be in decline. The fisheries in northern Australia are relatively well managed.

Source: Wikipedia: Spot-tail shark — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spot-tail_shark (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.