Torpedo-shaped body with large first dorsal fin and small second dorsal and anal fins. It has a general appearance similar to other more tropical whaler sharks, but can usually be identified by its bronze upper colouration on live specimens and the lack of a ridge of skin running between the dorsal fins. The species is, however, often confused with the black whaler Carcharhinus obscurus, a second whaler shark found in southern Australian waters. The black whaler has black or white tips to the pectoral fins and a more rounded tip to the dorsal fin. Both temperate whalers are potentially dangerous and have a liking for speared fish, but more often the bronze whaler feeds on schooling pelagic fishes such as Australian salmon, and the black whaler feeds on bottom-dwelling animals.
Information
Max Size: 325 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 15.1-26.2°C
Depth: 0-100m
Habitat: Open ocean, Rocky Reef, Soft sediment
Rarity
IUCN Threat Status: Near Threatened
Occurrence: Infrequent (2% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution.
It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Solitary (1 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: GJ Edgar. 2008. Australian Marine Life. New Holland, Sydney
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