Geographic Range
Dusky sharks,
Carcharhinus obscurus
, have a wide geographic range. They are a coastal species that covers the southern
tip of California going southward along the western coast of Mexico at Guadalajara.
They also exist in waters from the Texas-Mexico border of the Gulf of Mexico, eastward
through the western coast of Florida and the northern coast of Cuba. They have been
known to inhabit the eastern coast of North and South America, with some populations
being located in areas on the western coast of Chile. They are located across the
western coast of Portugal, the eastern coast of Spain, the northern coast of Algeria
in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as covering the entire west coast of Africa. The
coast of all of Madagascar, locations off the coast of Mozambique, the eastern southern
tip of Africa, and all throughout the Red Sea are all areas where they are commonly
found. There are large populations of dusky sharks known to congregate in areas off
the coasts of of Australia. Some other locations where they convene are along the
coast of Bangkok, Thailand and Hong Kong, China, as well as off the eastern coast
of Japan.
- Biogeographic Regions
- oceanic islands
- indian ocean
- atlantic ocean
- pacific ocean
- mediterranean sea
Habitat
Dusky sharks are commonly found in tropical coastal waters, but have been spotted
in temperate environments when migrating. They descend to 400 meters at times. The
depths that they inhabit depend on the environment they are in at the time. When swimming
near the coast, they tend to stay at depths ranging from 50 to 100 meters. However,
when inhabiting southern gulf waters they tend to stay at depths of 20 to 50 meters.
- Habitat Regions
- temperate
- tropical
- saltwater or marine
Physical Description
Adult females typically range from 76 to 287 cm in length, whereas males are slightly smaller, having a range from 74 to 276 cm long. Length at sexual maturity is reported to be 235 cm (range 220-300 cm). The largest male dusky shark was 420 cm long. Adults weigh an average of 180 kilograms, but pregnant females have been known to weigh as much as 450 kilograms. The smallest adults weigh 160 kg. At birth, sharks are 48 to 100 centimeters in length.
As their name suggests, dusky sharks have dusky tips on their fins that are not very
prominent. Their undersides are white and their snouts are rounded. Their pectoral
fin is in the shape of a sickle. They are known to have the strongest bite of any
shark species, being able to produce 60 kilograms of force when their jaws are fully
closed. Adding to this bite force, their teeth are sharp, in the shape of a triangle,
and serrated on both exposed sides.
- Other Physical Features
- ectothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- female larger
Development
The embryos at full term for a dusky shark can range from 48-100 cm (more typically
70-100 cm). This is a viviparous species with a yolk sac intially providing nourishment
directly to the 3-14 young as they develop. When the yolk sac runs out of nutrients,
the placenta then feeds the young. The female gestates the embryos for 16-22 months.
Pups are born with working jaws and teeth and are able to hunt and kill from the time
of birth. Like all other sharks, dusky sharks have indeterminate growth, meaning they
continuously grow throughout their lifetime. Although more development data could
and should have been collected during the era in which they were overfished, they
were not. Currently, with smaller populations, very little research on development
and other reproductive metrics is being conducted.
- Development - Life Cycle
- indeterminate growth
Reproduction
Male sharks have been known to mate with multiple females. Other than this there is
no known information about the mating behavior of the dusky shark.
- Mating System
- polygynous
Female dusky sharks are viviparous, giving birth to live young. They have a gestation
period that typically lasts from 16 to 22 months. Potentially taking up to 2 years
for their gestation period, they have to wait a year before being able to bear pups
again, making their overall reproduction cycle 3 years long. They have a litter size
ranging from 3-14 pups in one litter, with each pup ranging from 70 to 100 centimeters
in length (or as small as 48 cm). They give nourishment to the pups by utilizing a
yolk-sac placenta. Late term females lack a large yolky ova; this is one reason why
they have to wait a year to mate again (Romine, 2009). Males tend to reach sexual
maturity at the age of 19 years old, with a range from 17 to 24 years old, whereas
females tend to reach sexual maturity at the age of 21 years old, with a range of
17 to 24 years old as well. There is no information about the mass of the pups when
they are born.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- seasonal breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- viviparous
Hussey (2010) reported that the pups are born with an oversized liver that accounts for 20 percent of the pups mass at birth. The liver contains stored energy for the pups to use within the first months of their lives. After the stored energy is used up, they are able to hunt and live freely. Ebert (2010) stated that immediately after birth, the mother moves away from the pups to avoid cannibalism. Ebert (2010) also suggested that the pups remain in a group shortly after birth. Hussey (2010) suggests that although they do not stay with the mother, the pups are not independent from their mothers' resource allocation after birth due to the excess nutrients within their liver that they are given in the womb.
Paternal investment is non-existent for the dusky shark. After impregnation, the father
has nothing to do with the pups.
- Parental Investment
- female parental care
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
provisioning
- female
-
provisioning
- pre-weaning/fledging
- pre-independence
- post-independence association with parents
Lifespan/Longevity
Carpenter and Valdestamon (2017) report the oldest dusky shark was 40, but it's suspected
the maximum age they can reach is mid-40s to 50s. The information does not specify
whether this is for captive sharks or wild sharks. Compagno (1984) reports in the
FAO Species Catalogue that younger dusky sharks fare well in captivity, but maximum
lifespan has not been reported in captivity.
Behavior
Dusky sharks migrate from location to location depending on the temperature and season
at the time, trying to stay in the more tropical areas during all times of the year.
The females move closer to the shore when they are about to give birth, then move
away from shore afterwards. The pups typically form schools that are sometimes divided
up between males and females and hunt together. As they get older, they move away
from the shore to more open waters but still moderately close to the shore. They have
been known to follow ships that are leaving offshore areas at times. They have also
been known to be extremely aggressive. There have been multiple reports of them attacking
humans (Ebert, 2013).
- Key Behaviors
- natatorial
- motile
- migratory
Home Range
Dusky sharks don't have a reported home range, nor do they defend a territory.
Communication and Perception
All sharks have sense organs that help them communicate. These organs monitor both
the outside and inside environments at all times. Some of these organs are spread
around the entirety of the sharks' bodies and transmit nerve impulses. These nerve
impulses are sent to two different areas in the sharks' bodies, their brain and their
spinal cord. When there are signals sent to the brain, they comprehend them as just
sensations. When signals are sent to the spinal cord, it results in a reflex reaction.
They also have another system called the neuromast system. This systems organs consist
of lateral lines, cephalic canals, ampullae of Lorenzini, and pit organs. Neuromasts
are all over the body as well as on the surface of the skin and in sunken canals that
are beneath the skin. These organs help detect a wide variety of sensations and assist
the sharks with the sensations of their surroundings. They can detect water movement
and use it to orient their movement, detect sound waves, detects potential threats,
and locate food. Some of the neuromast system uses electroreceptors that, when electric
pulses are fired off, an electric field is transmitted all around the shark. When
the electric pulses cease, the field fades away.
- Other Communication Modes
- vibrations
- Perception Channels
- visual
- tactile
- vibrations
- chemical
- electric
Food Habits
Dusky sharks are generalist carnivores, more typically feeding close to the marine
substrate. When they are young, they tend to prey on smaller organisms such as sardines
(
Sardina pilchardus
) and small squid (
Teuthida
). As they grow and become adults, they start to hunt for larger prey such as groupers
(
Epinephelus striatus
,
Epinephelus polyphekadion
,
Epinephelus flavocaeruleus
). Dusky sharks have been known to eat skates, rays, sea turtles, other sharks as
well. Invertebrate materials include gastropods, crustaceans, and sea stars. They
can sometimes mistakenly consume human trash. In few stomachs, bottlenose dolphins
Tursiops
have been found. However, it's thought that the marine mammals are consumed already
dead, as carrion. Dicken et al. (2015) do report one case of dusky sharks attacking
a calf humpback whale (
Megaptera novaeangliae
).
- Primary Diet
-
carnivore
- piscivore
- molluscivore
- eats other marine invertebrates
- Animal Foods
- mammals
- reptiles
- fish
- blood
- body fluids
- carrion
- mollusks
- aquatic crustaceans
- echinoderms
Predation
Adult dusky sharks have very few predators that hunt them. When they are born, they
have a risk of being prey to larger sharks in the area, but as they grow this threat
disappears. The only predator of adults is humans,
Homo sapeins
, who catch them in fishing efforts and seek them out for their fins.
Ecosystem Roles
The dusky shark is a generalist, preying on a wide variety of animals. They are an
apex predator in their system. Some of the parasites that inhabit these sharks are
tapeworms
Anthobothrium laciniatum
, and the parasitic monogenean (a flatworm),
Dermophthirius carcharhini
.
- Tapeworm Anthobothrium laciniatum
- Monogenean flatworm Dermophthirius carcharhini
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Dusky sharks are very beneficial to humans in the food industry. Their meat is valued
at a high price and their fins are valued at an even higher price. The fins are used
in a soup called shark fin soup as well as the skin being used for leather. According
Musick et al. (2009), the oil from the livers can be used to make an assortment of
vitamins. They are also the subject to ecotourism in many areas because of their tendencies
to live near coastal waters.
- Positive Impacts
- food
- body parts are source of valuable material
- ecotourism
- source of medicine or drug
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Dusky sharks have been known to be aggressive towards humans.
- Negative Impacts
-
injures humans
- bites or stings
Conservation Status
According to the IUCN Red List, dusky sharks are listed as "Vulnerable." Ebert et al. (2013) list them as endangered in the northwest and central Atlantic ocean. The US Federal List, CITES, and the State of Michigan List all state there is no special status involved with this species.
This is a severely overfished shark, caught as by-catch in tuna nets. Their fins, livers, and hides are highly sought-after by humans. Musick et al. (2009) reported that 144,000 and 767,000 dusky shark fins are traded each year. With fishermen seeking out juveniles in many portions of their range, and fishing tournaments (e.g., in Florida) purposely catching and keeping them, the populations have declined precipitously. Given that it takes these sharks nearly 20 years to reach breeding status, these sharks are imperiled.
Dusky sharks are now illegal to fish or kill in the United States. The ban on fishing
of these sharks in the U.S. Atlantic is already seeing populations improve incrementally.
In other areas, the ban hasn't worked; in 2003, despite the ban, over 2000 dusky sharks
were harvested. Other countries, as well as international conservation efforts, have
mentioned monitoring of these and other sharks - but implementation is slow. The long-term
prognosis for this species is unclear.
Additional Links
Contributors
Justin Alouf (author), Radford University, Alex Atwood (editor), Radford University, Karen Powers (editor), Radford University, Joshua Turner (editor), Radford University, Tanya Dewey (editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
- oceanic islands
-
islands that are not part of continental shelf areas, they are not, and have never been, connected to a continental land mass, most typically these are volcanic islands.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- Atlantic Ocean
-
the body of water between Africa, Europe, the southern ocean (above 60 degrees south latitude), and the western hemisphere. It is the second largest ocean in the world after the Pacific Ocean.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- Pacific Ocean
-
body of water between the southern ocean (above 60 degrees south latitude), Australia, Asia, and the western hemisphere. This is the world's largest ocean, covering about 28% of the world's surface.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- temperate
-
that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).
- tropical
-
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
- saltwater or marine
-
mainly lives in oceans, seas, or other bodies of salt water.
- pelagic
-
An aquatic biome consisting of the open ocean, far from land, does not include sea bottom (benthic zone).
- coastal
-
the nearshore aquatic habitats near a coast, or shoreline.
- ectothermic
-
animals which must use heat acquired from the environment and behavioral adaptations to regulate body temperature
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- indeterminate growth
-
Animals with indeterminate growth continue to grow throughout their lives.
- polygynous
-
having more than one female as a mate at one time
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- seasonal breeding
-
breeding is confined to a particular season
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- viviparous
-
reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female.
- female parental care
-
parental care is carried out by females
- natatorial
-
specialized for swimming
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- migratory
-
makes seasonal movements between breeding and wintering grounds
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- electric
-
uses electric signals to communicate
- vibrations
-
movements of a hard surface that are produced by animals as signals to others
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- vibrations
-
movements of a hard surface that are produced by animals as signals to others
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- electric
-
uses electric signals to communicate
- carrion
-
flesh of dead animals.
- food
-
A substance that provides both nutrients and energy to a living thing.
- ecotourism
-
humans benefit economically by promoting tourism that focuses on the appreciation of natural areas or animals. Ecotourism implies that there are existing programs that profit from the appreciation of natural areas or animals.
- drug
-
a substance used for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease
- carnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats meat
- piscivore
-
an animal that mainly eats fish
- molluscivore
-
eats mollusks, members of Phylum Mollusca
References
Bullard, S., S. Dippenaar, E. Hoffmayer, G. Benz. 2004. New locality records for Dermophthirius carcharhini (Monogenea: Microbothriidae) and Dermophthirius maccallumi and a list of hosts and localities for species of Dermophthirius. Comparative Parasitology , 71/1: 78-80.
Carpenter, K., R. Valdestamon. 2017. "Carcharhinus obscurus" (On-line). FishBase. Accessed November 21, 2017 at http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Carcharhinus-obscurus.html .
Castro, J., D. Peebles. 2010. The Sharks of North America . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Dicken, M., A. Kock, M. Hardenberg. 2015. First observations of dusky sharks (Carcharhinus obscurus) attacking a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) calf. Marine & Freshwater Research , 66/ 12: 1211-1215.
Ebert, D., S. Fowler, L. Compagno, M. Dando. 2013. Sharks of the World A Fully Illustrated Guide . St. Maurice, Plymouth, U.K.: Wild Nature Press.
Geraghty, P., W. Macbeth, A. Harry, J. Bell, M. Yerman, J. Williamson. 2014. Age and growth parameters for three heavily exploited shark species off temperate Eastern Australia. ICES Journal of Marine Science , 71/ 3: 559-573.
Hall, B. 2005. Bones and Cartilage: Developmental and Evolutionary Skeletal Biology . Cambridge, Massachusetts: Academic Press.
Hereward, J., C. Riginos, D. Blower, J. Hereward, C. Riginos, J. Ovenden, S. Corley. 2015. Characterisation and cross-amplification of 21 novel microsatellite loci for the dusky shark, Carcharhinus obscurus. Conservation Genetics Resources , 7/ 4: 909-912.
Hoffmayer, E., J. Franks, W. Driggers, J. McKinney, J. Hendon, J. Quattro. 2014. Habitat, movements and environmental preferences of dusky sharks, Carcharhinus obscurus, in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Marine Biology , 161/ 4: 911-924.
Hussey, N., S. Wintner, S. Dudley, G. Cliff, D. Cocks, A. MacNeil. 2010. Maternal investment and size-specific reproductive output in Carcharhinid sharks. Journal of Animal Ecology , 79/ 1: 184-193.
Linzey, D. 2012. Vertebrate Biology . Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Marshall, H., G. Skomal, P. Ross, D. Bernal. 2015. At-vessel and post-release mortality of the dusky (Carcharhinus obscurus) and sandbar (C. plumbeus) sharks after longline capture. Fisheries Research , 172: 373-384.
Musick, J., R. Grubbs, J. Baum, E. Cortés. 2009. "The IUCN Red List of threatened species 2009" (On-line). Carcharhinus obscurus. Accessed September 12, 2017 at http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009-2.RLTS.T3852A10127245.en. .
Natanson, L., B. Gervelis, M. Winton, L. Hamady, S. Gulak, J. Carlson. 2014. Validated age and growth estimates for Carcharhinus obscurus in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, with pre- and post management growth comparisons. Environmental Biology of Fishes , 97/ 8: 881-896.
Rogers, P., C. Huveneers, S. Goldsworthy, J. Mitchell, L. Seuront. 2013. Broad-scale movements and pelagic habitat of the dusky shark Carcharhinus obscurus off southern Australia determined using pop-up satellite archival tags. Fisheries Oceanography , 22/2: 102-112.
Romine, J., J. Musick, G. Burgess. 2009. Demographic analyses of the dusky shark, Carcharhinus obscurus, in the northwest Atlantic incorporating hooking mortality estimates and revised reproductive parameters. Environmental Biology of Fishes , 84/ 3: 277-289.
Ruhnke, T., J. Caira. 2009. Two new species of Anthobothrium van Beneden, 1850 (Tetraphyllidea: Phyllobothriidae) from carcharhinid sharks, with a redescription of Anthobothrium laciniatum Linton, 1890. Systematic Parasitology , 72/3: 217-227.
Shoou-Jeng, J., C. Jun-Hsu, C. Chien-Pang, L. Kwang-Ming. 2015. Age and growth of the dusky shark, Carcharhinus obscurus, in the western North Pacific Ocean. Terrestrial, Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences , 26/ 2: 153-160.
Simpfendorfer, C., R. McAuley, N. Hall. 2007. A method for evaluating the impacts of fishing mortality and stochastic influences on the demography of two long-lived shark stocks. ICES Journal OF Marine Science , 64/ 9: 1710-1722.
Simpfendorfer, C. 2001. Diet of three commercially important shark species from western Australian waters. Marine and Freshwater Research , 52/ 7: 975-985.
Smoothey, A., C. Gray, S. Kennelly, O. Masens, V. Peddemors, V. Robinson. 2016. Patterns of occurrence of sharks in Sydney harbour, a large urbanised estuary. PLoS ONE , 11/ 1: 1-16.
2001. "Appendix 1 Frequently asked questions about sharks" (On-line). Sharks and sustainability activites booklet. Accessed September 21, 2017 at http://www.mesa.edu.au/seaweek2005/pdf/appendix1.pdf .
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. FAO Species Catalogue, Vol.4. Sharks of the world An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date Part 2. Carcharhiniformes. ISBN 92-5-101383-7. Rome, Italy: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 1984. Accessed November 21, 2017 at http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/ad123e/ad123e00.HTM .