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Sandtiger Shark (Herbsts Nurse Shark)
Odontaspis ferox (Risso, 1810)
A Sandtiger Shark collected by K. Graham. The fish was trawled by the FRV Kapala at a depth of 330 m, May 1997 (AMS I.38629-004).
Head of a 3.8 m long Sandtiger Shark caught at a depth of 385 m off Eden, New South Wales. View larger image.
The 3.8 m long Sandtiger Shark in cold storage before examination. View larger image. View image of this fish being unloaded from a trawler.
Tooth from the upper jaw of a Sandtiger Shark caught at a depth between 100 m and 120 m, south of Cape Everard, Victoria, March 2004. Note the long central cusp and two lateral cusplets. The head of this fish is registered in the Australian Museum Fish Collection (AMS I.43369-001). View larger image. Photo: Mark McGrouther.
The Sandtiger Shark has an asymmetrical caudal fin and a first dorsal fin that is larger than both the second dorsal and anal fins. It has long awl-like teeth with two to three pairs of lateral cusplets (see bottom image). It is grey-brown above shading to paler below.
This species grows to 3.8 m in length.
It eats bony fishes, crustaceans and cephalopods.
The Sandtiger Shark has been recorded from scattered localities in most seas and oceans.
In Australia it is known from continental shelf and slope waters off New South Wales (to a depth of 850 m) and north-western Australia (to 420 m).
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
This species looks similar to the Greynurse Shark. The latter species has similar sized dorsal fins and a single pair of lateral cusplets on each tooth.
This species is known internationally as the Sandtiger Shark, or Smalltoothed Sandtiger Shark. In New South Wales it is listed as a protected species under the common name Herbsts Nurse Shark.
The common name 'Herbst's Shark' was coined by G.P. Whitley in his 1950 description of the species Odontaspis herbsti (a junior synonym of O. ferox). The common name reflects the contribution of Mr. W.A. Herbst who donated the holotype (AMS IB.2136) and paratype (AMS IB.1959) of this species to the Australian Museum.
Related links
- Greynurse Shark fact sheet
- View the Nurse Shark list
- View the Shark list
Further reading
- Compagno, L.J.V. 1984. FAO species catalogue. Vol. 4, Sharks of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 1 - Hexanchiformes to Lamniformes: viii, 1-250. (as Smalltooth Sand Tiger Shark)
- Compagno, L.J.V. & Niem, V.H. 1998. Odontaspididae. in Carpenter, K.E. & V.H. Niem (Eds). FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 2. Cephalopods, crustaceans, holothurians and sharks. FAO, Rome. Pp. iii-vi, 688-1396.
- Last, P.R. & J.D. Stevens. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. CSIRO. Pp. 513.
- Whitley, G. P. 1950. Studies in ichthyology. No. 14. Records of the Australian Museum. 22:3: 234-245.
