Galapagos shark

Galapagos shark
Conservation status
Near Threatened
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Order:	Carcharhiniformes
Family:	Carcharhinidae
Genus:	Carcharhinus
Species:	C. galapagensis
Binomial name
Carcharhinus galapagensis (Snodgrass & Heller, 1905)

Template:Sharksportal The Galapagos shark, Carcharhinus galapagensis, is a species of requiem shark. It was first named in 1905 after specimens were found in the seas around the Galapagos Islands. The Galapagos shark is dark grey on top with an off-white belly and a black tail edge. Their average length is around 10 feet (3 m). They are benthic feeders, meaning they hunt prey from the sea floor, such as fish and octopuses. Adult Galapagos sharks are also cannibalistic, feeding on their own young if encountered. The Galapagos shark can be found in warm tropical waters at depths ranging from 16 to 200 feet (5 to 60 m).

Its distribution is widespread but patchy with populations occurring at many widely separated island sites and also in some coastal areas in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.

Reproduction is viviparous.

It is classed as "Near threatened" because it may be subject to high levels of fishing pressure in many areas of its range.

References

• Template:IUCN2006
• Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2006). "Carcharhinus galapagensis" in FishBase. 06 2006 version.
• "Carcharhinus galapagensis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 02 August. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)