Dusky Shark

The Dusky Shark is a large, wide-ranging requiem shark inhabiting temperate and tropical continental shelf and offshore waters around the world. It belongs to family Carcharhinidae and is one of the larger members of the genus Carcharhinus, with adults reaching 3-3.6 meters. Known for exceptionally slow growth and late maturity compared to most sharks, it undertakes extensive seasonal migrations along continental coastlines. Once heavily impacted by fisheries throughout the twentieth century, the Dusky Shark is now assessed as Endangered, with populations in several regions showing significant historical declines and slow recovery.

• Large, robust, bronze-gray to gray body with a broad, rounded snout
• Low interdorsal ridge running between the first and second dorsal fins
• First dorsal fin with a rounded, low apex, its origin set behind the free rear tip of the pectoral fins
• Sickle-shaped, elongated pectoral fins
• Small eyes relative to head size The presence of a low ridge between the dorsal fins, combined with the far-set dorsal fin origin, helps distinguish it from similar large gray requiem sharks like the Galapagos and Silky Sharks.

Dusky Sharks range widely across temperate and tropical continental shelf and slope waters worldwide, from nearshore surf zones to offshore waters over 400 meters deep. They are highly migratory, undertaking some of the longest documented shark migrations along coastlines such as the eastern United States and southern Africa, moving seasonally between warmer and cooler waters. Juveniles typically remain in shallower nursery areas near shore, while adults range more broadly into deeper offshore habitats, showing a preference for continental shelf edges over open ocean.

Dusky Sharks are powerful, wide-ranging predators that feed on a broad diet including bony fishes, smaller sharks and rays, and cephalopods, adjusting their prey with age and location. They are known for slow, energy-efficient cruising over long migratory routes rather than the burst-feeding style of some coastal species. Reproduction is viviparous but exceptionally slow, with females not maturing until roughly 20 years of age and producing litters of about 3-14 pups only once every two to three years after a long gestation near 22 months, making population recovery from overfishing especially slow.