Also known as a Copper shark.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR
A large shark with a long moderately rounded broad snout, and a bulge at the base of the upper caudal fin.

COLOR
Olive grey to bronze above, white below, most fins with dusky edges. Its flanks have a pale blaze from below the dorsal fin to the tail.

SIZE
Males mature at 6.6 ft to 7.5 ft [2 to 2.3 m], females mature at 7.9 feet [2.4 m], maximum length about 9.8 ft [3 m] .

TEETH
The upper teeth have a distinct outwardly hooked shape.

HABITAT
Often seen close inshore feeding on schooling fish, frequently within the surf zone. It is also found around offshore islands over deep water and to depths of 100 m.

DISTRIBUTION
Warm temperate to subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Indo Pacific. It is seasonally migratory in at least part of its range. Along the coast of southern Africa it follows the giant shoals of migrating sardines.

BIOLOGY

• Prey – Feeds on pelagic, shoaling and bottom bony fishes, cephalopods, smaller sharks, and rays.

• Reproduction – Viviparous; females nourish embryos with a yolk-sac placenta and give birth to live young.

BEHAVIOR
This is an active fast-moving shark, and it can leap out of the water.

DISPOSITION
This species has been implicated in bites to humans, particularly spearfishermen.