Carcharhinus galapagensis

Whaler shark
Carcharhinus galapagensis
Carcharhinus galapagensis, Lord Howe Is, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
Carcharhinus galapagensis
Carcharhinus galapagensis, Lord Howe Island, Australia, Photo: Tom Davis
Carcharhinus galapagensis
Carcharhinus galapagensis, Lord Howe Is, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
Carcharhinus galapagensis
Carcharhinus galapagensis, Lord Howe Island, Australia, Photo: Andrew Green
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Carcharhinus galapagensis
Carcharhinus galapagensis
Carcharhinus galapagensis
Carcharhinus galapagensis

Distribution

Temperate Africa, Temperate Australasia, Temperate South America, Temperate northern Atlantic, Temperate northern Pacific, Tropical Atlantic/Caribbean, Tropical Eastern Pacific, Tropical Indo-Pacific


Description

Uniform grey colour on upper surface becoming pale below, lacking distinctive markings. Predominant shark in wave exposed areas around remote oceanic pinnacles and reefs.


Information

Max Size: 370 cm

Sea Temperature Range: 18-26.5°C

Depth: 1-280m

Habitat Generalization Index: 13.28

Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.


Conservation and Rarity

IUCN Status: Near Threatened

Occurrence: Frequent (20.0% 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: Few (2 per transect)

Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.


Edit by: extract from RD Stuart-Smith, GJ Edgar, AJ Green, IV Shaw. 2015. Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland