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SpeciesCarcharhiniformesCarcharhinidae
Sharks & rays

🦈Copper shark

Carcharhinus brachyurus (Günther, 1870)

The copper shark, bronze whaler, or narrowtooth shark is a species of requiem shark found mostly in temperate latitudes. It is distributed in a number of separate populations in the northeastern and southwestern Atlantic, off southern Africa, in the northwestern and eastern Pacific, and around Australia and New Zealand, with scattered reports from equatorial regions. The species can be found from brackish rivers and estuaries to shallow bays and harbors, to offshore waters 100 m (330 ft) deep or more. Females are found apart from males for most of the year, and conduct seasonal migrations. A large species reaching 3.3 m (11 ft) long, the copper shark is difficult to distinguish from other large requiem sharks. It is characterized by its narrow, hook-shaped upper teeth, lack of a prominent ridge between the dorsal fins, and plain bronze coloration.

Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Measurements
8
vs you
≈ 2.7× your weight
Also called
Carcharhinus brachyurus, Bronze whaler, Bronze Whaler, Cocktail Shark, Narrowtooth Shark, New Zealand Whaler
Conservation status
VUVulnerable

IUCN Red List assessment, 2020.

Population trendDecreasing
Key measurements
Body mass
168 kg
Body length
3.25 m
Shoulder height
not recorded
Top speed
not recorded
Bite force
not recorded
Maximum lifespan
35 years
All measurements ↓
Facts and figures

Everything we know about the Copper shark

Typical adult figures. Where a value is an estimate rather than a measurement, it says so.

Body mass
168 kgrecord 305 kg · FishBase
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Record: largest individual on record

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Body length
3.25 mmaximum recorded
FishBase
Details ↓

Source: FishBase · v25.04 · CC BY-NC 4.0

Maximum lifespan
35 yearsrecord 30 years · FishBase
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Record: largest individual on record

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Litter size
about 17
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Trophic level
4.33
FishBase
Details ↓

Source: FishBase · v25.04, estimate table · CC BY-NC 4.0

Diet
carnivoreaverage
Details ↓

From trophic level 4.33 (FishBase): <2.2 herbivore, 2.2–2.8 omnivore, >2.8 carnivore.

Danger to humans
traumatogenic
FishBase
Details ↓

Source: FishBase · v25.04 · CC BY-NC 4.0

Volume l
168 Laverage
Details ↓

Body mass at ~1.0 kg/L, the density of vertebrate tissue.

average = a mean across sexes or species in a group.

Not recorded for Copper shark yet: shoulder height, top speed, bite force.

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More about the Copper shark

In other languages
短尾真鲨 (zh), Carcharhinus brachyurus (es), Requin cuivre (fr), Узкозубая акула (ru), tauró bronzat (ca), Bronzehai (de) … and 19 more languages
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