Spot-tail shark
species of shark
The spot-tail shark, or sorrah shark (Carcharhinus sorrah), is a species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae, found in the tropical Indo-West Pacific Ocean between latitudes 31°N and 31°S from the surface to a depth around 72 m (236 ft). This shark grows to about 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in). It is fished commercially over much of its range and the IUCN considers it to be near threatened.
Etymology
The species name sorrah originates from சுறா ("sura"), the Tamil word for "shark".
Description
The spot-tail shark is a spindle-shaped fish growing to about 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in). It has a fairly long, pointed snout and moderately large eyes. The first dorsal fin is large and curved, while the second dorsal fin is small and low. The back and sides are grey and the belly white, and a long white streak is on the flank. This species can be distinguished from other requiem sharks found in tropical waters by the distinctive black tips to the second dorsal fin, the pectoral fins, and the lower lobe of the caudal fin. A ridge over the spine extends from the first to the second dorsal fin and a pit just in front of the upper lobe of the caudal fin.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q210052. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Spot-tail shark” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.