Pencil Shark

About the Pencil Shark

The Pencil Shark, also known as the Blacktip Tope, is a medium-sized houndshark found in the western Indian Ocean and the western Pacific. It has been recorded in eastern Africa, southern Australia, Japan, and Taiwan.

Biology and Behaviour

The Pencil Shark lives on the continental shelf, at depths ranging from 40 to 230 m (131–755 ft), and feeds mainly on small fish and cephalopods. Males become sexually mature at approximately 98 cm (38.6 in), while females mature at about 102 cm (40.2 in) in total length. The species can reach at least 150 cm (4.9 ft).

Reproduction

These sharks are viviparous, meaning that they give birth to live young. Litters range from 3 to 15 pups, with an average of 10. Pups are born at approximately 30 cm (11.8 in) in length after a gestation period of around 10 to 11 months.

Conservation

The Pencil Shark is not known to be specifically targeted, but is caught as bycatch in several fisheries in Australia, South African and Japan. Its meat is likely retained for human consumption.

The IUCN currently lists the species as Data Deficient because information about its population size and trends is lacking across most of its range. In Australia, catch-rate data indicated that the population was stable until 1999, but recent data are limited.

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