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Silky Shark
Carcharhinus falciformis (Bibron, 1839)
Above and below: An 80cm long Silky Shark bought at Sydney Fish Market by B. Yau, March 2003 (AMS I.42630-001). View larger image.
The Silky Shark has a slender body with a low ridge between the dorsal fins. It has long pectoral fins and a heterocercal (more information) tail. The second dorsal and anal fins have long free rear tips. It has serrated triangular teeth in the upper jaw. The lower jaw teeth are more slender and smooth-edged.
This species is uniform grey to dark brown above and white below. The first dorsal fin is uniformly coloured. The other fins may have dusky tips.
It grows to 3.3m in length.
The Silky Shark occurs in tropical and some warm temperate waters worldwide. It is found in continental shelf and oceanic waters, primarily close to land.
In Australia it is known from south-western Western Australia, around the tropical north of the country and down the east coast to central New South Wales.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
- Allen, G.R. & R. Swainston. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 201.
- Last, P.R. & J.D. Stevens. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. CSIRO. Pp. 513.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
