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- Title
Threatened fishes of the world: Carcharias taurus (Rafinesque, 1810) (Odontaspididae).
- Authors
Smith, Adam K.; Pollard, David A.
- Abstract
This article focuses on Carcharias taurus. Carcharias taurus is declared as a vulnerable species in Commonwealth waters of Australia, where it is totally protected, and is also protected in State waters of New South Wales and Queensland. It has large stocky body, coloured grey to grey-brown above, merging to off-white on the belly. Dark blotches or spots may occur on the upper two thirds of the body, particularly in juveniles. It has a conical nose, a dorsally flattened head, and all five gill slits are located before the pectoral fin. It is relatively common in southern Australia, south Africa and south-eastern U.S. but uncommon in the eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and the rest of its range. Grey nurse sharks occur either alone, or in small to medium sized groups. They are often observed hovering motionless just above the seabed in or near deep sandy-bottomed gutters or rocky caves, usually in the vicinity of inshore rocky reefs and islands. They are generally found at depths of between 15 and 25 m. However, they may also occasionally be found in the surf zone, in shallow bays, around coral reefs, and at depths to around 200m on the continental shelf.
- Subjects
AUSTRALIA; SAND tiger shark; CARCHARIAS; RARE fishes; CORAL reefs &; islands; NURSE shark
- Publication
Environmental Biology of Fishes, 1999, Vol 56, Issue 4, p365
- ISSN
0378-1909
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1023/A:1007523504587