Elasmobranchii (tubarões e raias) (sharks and rays) > Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks) > Carcharhinidae (Requiem sharks)
Etymology: Negaprion:negatus (L.), to deny; prion (Gr.), saw, referring to lack of saw-like serrations on teeth cusps. (See ETYFish); brevirostris:Latin for having a wide forehead, referring to very broad, depressed head [treated as a junior synonym of N. brevirostris by some workers]. (See ETYFish). More on author: Poey.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecologia
marinhas; estuarina associadas(os) a recifes; oceanódromo (Ref. 51243); intervalo de profundidade 0 - 92 m (Ref. 244). Subtropical; 45°N - 33°S, 114°W - 14°E (Ref. 55192)
Western Atlantic: New Jersey, USA to southern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean; also in Gulf of Mexico (Ref. 26938). Northeast Atlantic: Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and probably wide-ranging off West Africa, but this requires confirmation. Eastern Pacific: southern Baja California, Mexico and the Gulf of California to Ecuador.
Comprimento de primeira maturação / Tamanho / Peso / Idade
Maturity: Lm?, range 239 - ? cm Max length : 340 cm TL macho/indeterminado; (Ref. 26938); common length : 240 cm TL macho/indeterminado; (Ref. 5217); peso máx. publicado: 183.7 kg (Ref. 40637); idade máx. registrada: 25 anos (Ref. 31395)
A brownish shark with yellow overtones but no conspicuous markings. Large second dorsal fin nearly same size as first dorsal (Ref. 26938).
Occurs on continental and insular shelves, frequenting mangrove fringes, coral keys, docks, sand or coral mud bottoms, saline creeks, enclosed bays or sounds, and river mouths. May enter fresh water. Occasionally moves into the open ocean, near or at the surface, apparently for purposes of migration. May rest motionless on the bottom (Ref. 9710). May occur singly or in small groups. Feeds mainly on fish but also takes crustaceans and mollusks. Viviparous, with 4 to 17 young in a litter. Size at birth 60 to 65 cm. Has been involved in several attacks on people. Meat is utilized for human consumption, hides for leather, fins for shark-fin soup base, liver oil for vitamins, and carcasses for fish meal. Marketed fresh, dried-salted and frozen (Ref. 9987).
Distinct pairing with embrace (Ref. 205). Viviparous, placental (Ref. 50449), with 5 to 17 embryos (Ref. 9253). Both male and female during precopulatory and courtship swim with body axes in parallel (Ref. 49562, 51112). During copulation, the pair performs coordinated swimming (Ref. 49562, 51112).
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 2 - Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(4/2):251-655. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 244)
