Large Copper Shark's Jaws Carcharhinus brachyurus cm 35 x 22 Dogfishes Cartilaginous Fishes Chondrichthyes Selachians Elasmobranchs Carcharinidae.
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Copper Shark (Carcharhinus brachyurus Günther, 1870) is a large shark belonging to Carcharhinidae family, single member of the genus which is found mainly in temperate latitudes. The specific epithet is derived from the greek brachys (short) and oura (tail).
The distribution of the species has a fairly large distribution area, but separated, and regional populations are rarely encountered, remaining isolated. It is a coastal shark, which lives on continental margins in most tropical and warm temperate seas. Also commonly it comes in shallow areas such as bays, sand banks, ports and berthing areas and rocky areas and offshore islands. Occasionally you found on deeper depths, up to approximately 100 meters depth. Unique in the genus, this species is more abundant in temperate waters than in tropical ones, at temperatures greater than 12 ° C
Females live separated from males for most of the year, and conduct seasonal migrations.
It is a large animal, which reaches 3.3 meters in length and 300 kg in weight. It often happens that this shark is confused with other large Carcharhinus, in particular the dusky shark (Carcharhinus obscurus), but can be identified for the upper jaw, the absence of interdorsal ridge, the absence of obvious stains on the fins. The distinguishing feature is the upper teeth, hooked and thin, the absence of interdorsal ridge, the complexion uniform bronze.
The mouth contains from 29 to 35 upper teeth and lower teeth 29 to 33, all with thin cusps and close to one another. The upper teeth are hook-shaped and become more inclined to gradually move toward the corners, while the lower are rights. In the adult male the upper teeth are longer, thinner, more curved and tighter than in females and in young specimens.
This shark is a fast predator, which feeds mainly on cephalopods, bony fishes, other cartilaginous fish, often gathering in large groups to take advantage of the number as a convenience. Fast and active, this shark can meet alone or in pairs, and occasionally in little organized groups which contain up to a few hundred individuals.
It may happen that this shark from falling prey to bigger ones. In South Africa, the species is associated to follow the migration of the sardines. Like the other Carcharhinidae, the specie is viviparous, ie the embryo developing is fed through a placental connection derived from the yolk sac. The female gives birth to 7 to 24 sharks at a time every two years in nursery areas off the coast, which grow very slowly.
Although not reported as particularly dangerous to humans, this species has become the protagonist of some non-fatal attacks, mostly against fishing with harpoons and also for surfers as its prey are often captured on the wave.
Fossilized teeth were found in the Pungo River in North Carolina. The remains date back to the Miocene (23 to 5.3 million years ago), Other remains date back to the Pliocene (5.3 to 2.6 million years ago) have been discovered in Tuscany and others, the Late Pleistocene (126,000 to 12,000 years ago) , in Costa Mesa, California.
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