Caribbean Reef Shark

By Keiron Ebanks
Year 5
North Side Primary School
The area marked in red is where the Caribbean
Reef Shark mostly lives in the Western Atlantic
Ocean.
 Caribbean Reef Shark
• The Caribbean Reef Shark lives in the tropical waters of the western
Atlantic Ocean from Florida to Brazil and is most commonly seen in the
Caribbean Sea. They prefer shallow waters on or around coral reefs and
are commonly found near the drop offs at the reefs outer edge. This
shark is the most common in water shallower than 98ft but have also
been known to dive 1240 ft.

• The Caribbean Reef Shark has a robust streamlined body of the typical
shark, the species is very difficult to tell apart from other members of
its family, just like the dusky or silky shark. To tell the difference look
for the dusky colored fins without markings, a short free rear tip on
the second dorsal fin, The snout is rather short, broad and rounded.
The eyes are large and circular, there are 11-13 tooth rows in either
half of both jaws. They can measure up to 10ft long, it can weigh up to
154lbs, the Caribbean Reef Shark is one of the largest predators in the
reef ecosystem.
Caribbean Reef Shark
 Caribbean Reef Shark
• The Caribbean Reef Shark has been known to rest motionless on the
sea bottom or inside caves which is very unusual for an active swimming
shark.

• Mating is an aggressive affair, as females are often found with biting

scars and wounds on there sides. The average litter size is 4-6, with a
gestation period of one year. Females become pregnant every other
year.

• The Caribbean Reef Shark feeds on a variety of reef dwelling bony fish
and cephalopods (squid and octopus) and as well as eagle and yellow rays.
Young sharks feed on small fish, shrimps and crabs. The sharks are
attracted to low-frequency sounds which struggling fish transmit.
Caribbean Reef Shark
 Caribbean Reef Shark
• Shark feeding has become a very profitable ecotourism industry
especially around this species, “Shark Feeds” in which groups of reef
sharks are attracted to divers using bait. It is especially common in the
Bahamas. Some people do not like the idea, as sharks may learn to
associate humans with food, increasing the chances of a shark attack.
 Caribbean Reef Shark
• Caribbean Reef Sharks are normally very shy in the presence of divers,
the shark has been known to become aggressive in the presence of food
and grows quite large and is considered dangerous.
• The Caribbean Reef Shark is commercially fished as it is valued for its
meat, leather, liver oil and fishmeal. The Caribbean reef shark is the
most common shark landed in Colombia where it is caught for its fins,
oil and jaws (sold for ornamental purposes).
 Caribbean Reef Shark
Conservation

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has

assessed the Caribbean reef shark as near threatened; its population
has declined off Belize and Cuba from overfishing and exploitation
continues in other regions. They are also threatened by the degradation
and destruction of their coral reef habitat. Commercial fishing for this
species is banned in the United States waters. They are protected in
the Bahamas due to their significance to ecotourism, as well as in a
number of Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s) off Brazil and elseware.
However, enforcement against illegal fishing is lacking in some of these
reserves, and many areas in which this species is abundant are not yet
protected.
Caribbean Reef Shark

References by Wikipedia.com