Sandbar Shark
Carcharhinus plumbeus
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Carcharhiniformes
- Family
- Carcharhinidae
- Genus
- Carcharhinus
- Species
- Carcharhinus plumbeus
The sandbar shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus) is a stocky, bronze-grey requiem shark recognised by its very tall, triangular first dorsal fin set well forward on the back. It has a short, rounded snout and reaches about 2.5 m.
It prefers sandy and muddy bottoms in bays, estuaries and shelf waters, where it feeds on bottom fish, crustaceans and cephalopods. Sandbar sharks grow slowly and mature late, making them vulnerable to overfishing; the species is listed as Endangered.
In the Philippines sandbar sharks occur in coastal and offshore shelf waters but are rarely reported by divers. Most local records come from fisheries surveys.