Smalltail Shark

About the Smalltail Shark

The smalltail shark is a species of requiem shark found off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of South and Central America. It is often found in muddy bottoms near estuaries, usually in shallow water.

Smalltails are small. They’re usually about 90 cm long, although some individual can reach up to 110 cm in length. They have a long pointed nose and a trinagular first dorsal fin. They’re usually plain grey.

They are opportunistic hunters and will eat anything they can catch, but their main prey items are bony fishes.

They give birth to 2 to 9 live young after a 12-month gestation period.

These sharks are caught as by-catch and retained for food throughout their range. The northern Brazilian population experienced a sharp decline and the species is locally vulnerable to extinction. At a global scale, they’re data deficient as they have not been studied enough to assess population health.

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