You can sponsor this page

Carcharhinus altimus (Springer, 1950)

Bignose shark
Add your observation in Fish Watcher
Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Carcharhinus altimus   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
Upload your photos and videos
Pictures | Google image
Image of Carcharhinus altimus (Bignose shark)
Carcharhinus altimus
Female picture by Cambraia Duarte, P.M.N. (c)ImagDOP

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks) > Carcharhinidae (Requiem sharks)
Etymology: Carcharhinus: karcharos (Gr.), sharp or jagged; rhinus, an ancient name for sharks, from rhine (Gr.), rasp, both words alluding to a shark's jagged, rasp-like skin. (See ETYFish);  altimus: Latin for highest, allusion not explained nor evident. (See ETYFish).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 12 - 810 m (Ref. 58302), usually 80 - 220 m (Ref. 9253). Subtropical; 46°N - 31°S, 180°W - 180°E

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Circumglobal: tropical to temperate watersin the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. Introduced in the Mediterranean via Gibralltar.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm 230.0, range 205 - 282 cm
Max length : 300 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2334); common length : 250 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26999); max. published weight: 167.8 kg (Ref. 40637)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Anal spines: 0. A heavily-bodied, cylindrical shark with a large, long and broad snout, long nasal flaps and high, triangular, saw-edged upper teeth; interdorsal ridge high and prominent; pectoral and dorsal fins large and straight (Ref. 5578). Grayish with no conspicuous markings, white below (Ref. 5578); inner corners of pectoral fins blackish (Ref. 9997).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Found near the edge of the continental and insular shelves and uppermost slopes (Ref. 244). Rare in shallow waters (Ref. 9997), bottom associated near shelf breaks and drop-offs; young may occur at 25 m (Ref. 58302). Feeds on bony fishes, other sharks, stingrays, and cuttlefish (Ref. 244). Viviparous (Ref. 50449). Utilized for fishmeal, liver oil, and shagreen (Ref. 9997). Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 244.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Viviparous, placental (Ref. 50449). Gives birth every second year with 1-13 (average 9) pups per litter (Ref. 58048). In the Mediterranean, sharks give birth in August and September, however in Madagascar, young are born in September and October (Ref. 244). Size at birth 60-75 cm (Ref. 6871); 70-90 cm TL (Ref.58048). Distinct pairing with embrace (Ref. 205).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Compagno, Leonard J.V. | Collaborators

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)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Near Threatened (NT) (A2d); Date assessed: 14 February 2020

CITES


CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless (Ref. 5485)





Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource | Sea Around Us

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet compositions
Food consumptions
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growths
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversions
Recruitments
Abundances
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturities
Fecundities
Spawnings
Spawning aggregations
Egg(s)
Egg developments
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Anatomy
Gill areas
Brains
Otoliths
Physiology
Body compositions
Nutrients
Oxygen consumptions
Swimming type
Swimming speeds
Visual pigment(s)
Fish sounds
Diseases / Parasites
Toxicities (LC50s)
Genetics
Genetics
Electrophoreses
Heritabilities
Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
Outreach
Collaborators
References
References

Tools

Special reports

Download XML

Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 13.8 - 26.5, mean 19.9 °C (based on 875 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00331 (0.00178 - 0.00617), b=3.11 (2.96 - 3.26), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  4.5   ±0.3 se; based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Fec=1-13;).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Very high vulnerability (90 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Medium.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 2.96 [0.55, 15.71] mg/100g; Iron = 0.338 [0.086, 0.978] mg/100g; Protein = 22.9 [20.0, 25.1] %; Omega3 = 0.186 [0.069, 0.461] g/100g; Selenium = 24 [8, 71] μg/100g; VitaminA = 26.4 [9.0, 79.0] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.305 [0.149, 0.601] mg/100g (wet weight);