Sand Shark Facts

Sand sharks, also known as sand tiger sharks or gray nurse sharks, are stocky looking sharks with large stout bodies and a large second dorsal fin. They are known as lamniform sharks and belong to the family of sharks known as Odontaspididae. It has a reputation of being ferocious and aggressive due to its looks but actually it may not be so. They are called sand sharks because of their habitat being located close to the shore and they are known by different names in different parts of the world. There is a lot that can be known about this species of sharks through sand shark facts, so here are some informative and interesting sand tiger shark facts. Read more on types of sharks.

Facts about Sand Sharks

Sand Shark Physical Appearance
As mentioned before, sand sharks have an aggressive and ferocious appearance. They can be distinguished from other sharks by identifying their large second dorsal fin and fang like teeth that are visible even when their mouth is shut. They have a brownish-gray color with spots that are bronze or rust colored on top and white underneath. They have flat and cone shaped snouts and a notched oblong tail. Sand sharks weigh around 159kg and are around 3.2m in length. Other scientific sand shark facts are mentioned below. Read more on facts about sharks.

Kingdom: Animalia
Family: Odontaspididae
Phylum: Chordata
Order: Lamniformes
Genus: Carcharias (1)
Class: Chondrichthyes

Sand Shark Habitat and Distribution
Sand sharks are to be found in almost all tropical and subtropical oceans, but they are mainly found in the coastal waters of the Atlantic, on both the sides, in the western Indian Ocean and also in the Gulf of Maine. They are also to be found in small numbers in the Adriatic and Mediterranean seas. Their habitat include coral reefs, estuaries and coastal waters.

Sand Shark Breeding Habits
Male sand sharks reach maturity when they are around 2 meters long and the female sharks reach maturity when they are 2.2 meters long. One of the interesting sand shark facts is that sand sharks develop just two embryos out of the large number of eggs that hatch within the parent shark. The developed embryos obtain nourishment from feeding on the unfertilized eggs, this process is known as 'intrauterine cannibalism'. Their gestation period lasts for around 9 to 12 months and the newborn sharks are around a meter long.

Sand Shark Feeding Habits
Sand sharks mainly feed on small fish like mackerel, cunners, skates, menhaden, flounders, butterfish, scup, bonito, silver hake, etc. Their diet may also consist of other marine beings like squid, lobsters, crab, small sharks and rays.

Sand Shark Temperament and Lifestyle
Sand sharks are sluggish, docile and non-aggressive as long as they do not feel threatened. They prefer to swim solo than in large groups and generally feed in the night than during the day. They are the only species of sharks that are known to rise to the surface of the water to gulp air an hold it in their stomach. They practice this to keep themselves buoyant or else due to their dense body structure, they would keep sinking to the bottom. During the winters, they move towards deeper coastal waters.

Sand Shark Conservation
Sand sharks have an extremely low rate of reproduction and so are listed as vulnerable. They are also susceptible to exploitation by fisheries and are killed for oil and Asian sharkfin trade. Measures are being taken to protect this Shark species from exploitation and extinction. Read more on shark fishing.

For more information, you can refer to facts about sand tiger shark.

Sand sharks are highly adaptable to aquarium life, they are found in almost all walk-through ocean display aquariums in the world. Hope the above sand shark facts have given you the relevant information about this unusual species of sharks.