Caribbean Reef Shark Identification

Video Transcript

The marine creature we are going to identify now is the Caribbean Reef Shark. Caribbean Reef Sharks are member of the requiem shark family, which includes blue sharks, pole sharks and milk sharks. One of the most common sharks found in the Caribbean but less commonly around Florida. All requiem sharks have round eyes and their pectoral fin starts completely behind their five gill sets. What distinguishes the reef shark, are three characteristics. First, the inside tips of the ventral, anal and lower lobbing detail are dusky. Second, the dorsal fin is relatively small and starts behind the pectoral fins. Finally, the gill slits are relatively small and start above the plain of the pectoral fins. Their bodies are silvery gray on the top, and light gray to white on the belly, and they can reach a length of about nine feet although most are in the five to eight foot range. They are often seen cruising along the top of coral reefs and along the edge of walls. They usually swim away when divers approach, but occasionally they make close passes to divers before swimming away. They sometimes can be territorial occupying the same area for undetermined lengths of time. Caribbean Reef Sharks are live bearing sharks. The females generally bear four to six pubs. They are each about two feet in length. They feed on various bony fishes and using their acute sense of smell, sight, touch, hearing and electrical vibrations picked up by their Ampullae of Lorenzini. One other thing you may see on a Caribbean Reef Shark, is a dark streamer or two hanging off its dorsal fin. This is actually a leech that is commonly found attached to the reef shark. That's the Caribbean Reef Shark.

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