Daggernose Shark

About the Daggernose Shark

The Dagger-nose shark is found in the northern waters of South America. This species has never been collected in fishery surveys and hence numbers are unknown. Surveys conducted in Brazil indicated the absence of this species.

They’ve been observed in estuaries and shallow coastal areas. Daggernose occurs in humid, tropical climate, coasts covered by mangroves and intense draining by numerous rivers and muddy bottoms. They usually dwell in waters with many rivers, islands, estuaries, islands, and beaches.

These sharks spend most of their life cycle within the same area and no long-distance movements have been seen.

Females mature at an age of 6-7 years and males at an age of 5-6 years. Females and males measure up to 115 cm and 103 cm respectively at an age of maturation. They are viviparous and the litter size varies between two to eight pups with gestation period being 12 months.

The oldest female recorded was 12 years and the oldest male was seven years. They feed on small fishes including anchovies and croakers. They have a large number of teeth and a great length of a very narrow snout. Its yellow-grey above and white below.

It is incidentally caught in the floating gillnets catching Spanish mackerel and King Weakfish, representing 10 per cent of the catch. Due to its limited biological characteristics, it does not compensate for the high mortality rate. This situation indicates a high risk of extinction for this species because of its rare existence. They’re a critically endangered species.

The Daggernose shark is commercialised as human food but fins have a low price.

Do you have images or videos of Daggernose Sharks?
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Scientific Name Isogomphodon oxyrhynchus
OrderGround Sharks - Carcharhiniformes
GenusIsogomphodon
CitesNot Listed
IUCNCritically Endangered
ReproductionViviparous
SizeMedium
Litter Size 2-8
Common Length 160 cm
Max LenghtNA
Depth Range ? - 15 m
DistributionWestern Central Atlantic, Southwest Atlantic
EnvironmentDemersal