Reef Shark, Carcharhinus perezii

Reef Shark, Carcharhinus perezii. Fish caught from coastal waters Reef Shark, Carcharhinus perezii. Fish caught from coastal waters off Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, December 2017. Length: 260 cm (8 feet 6 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Dominick Porcelli, Lighthouse Point, Florida.

The Reef Shark, Charcharninus perezii, is a member of the Requiem Shark or Carcharhinidae Family, that is also known as the Caribbean Reef Shark and in Mexico as tiburón coralino and el tiburón de arrecife del Caribe. Globally, there are thirty-five species in the genus Carcharhinus, of which seventeen are found in Mexican waters, seven in the Atlantic, four in the Pacific, and six in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

The Reef Shark has a robust streamlined heavy body. They are dark gray or gray-brown dorsally transitioning to white or yellowish-white ventrally with an inconspicuous white band on the flanks. There fins are not prominently marked and the anal fin, and undersides of the pectoral and pelvic fins are dusky as is the lower lobe of the caudal fin. They have a short, broad, rounded snout with prominent nostril skin flaps. Their eyes are large and circular. Their teeth at set in 11 to 13 rows and have broad bases, serrated edges and narrow cusps. They have five pairs of gill slits that are moderately long, with the third gill slit origin of their large and narrow pectoral fins. The caudal fin is strongly asymmetrical with a well-developed lower lobe; the first dorsal fin is slightly before the pectoral fins and is small, high, rounded, sickle shaped with a short rear tip; there is an interdorsal ridge between the two fins; the second dorsal fin is slightly in front of and similar in size to the anal fin and is relatively large with a very short rear tip; their pectoral fins are long and narrow tapering to a point. They are covered with closely spaced, overlapping dermal denticles each with five horizonal low ridges leading to marginal teeth.

The Reef Shark is the most commonly encountered reef shark in the Caribbean that are found in shallow waters near the bottom on or around coral reefs and near drop offs at the reefs’ outer edges at depths up to 378 m (1,240 feet). The Reef Shark reach a maximum of 3.00 m (9 feet 9 inches) in length and 70 kg (154 lbs) in weight. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 70 kg (154 lbs) with the fish caught in coastal waters off Key Largo, Florida in December, 1996. They are active night predators that have a keen sense of hearing, smell, sound, taste, touch, and vision, that prey on a wide variety of cephalopods and fishes. There juveniles are preyed upon by Bull Sharks, Charcharninus leucas and Tiger Sharks, Galeocerdo cuvier. They are known to rest motionless on the sea bottoms or inside caves, atypical shark behavior. They undergo limited migrations and have a strong residency and/or site fidelity to specific locations. Bar Jacks, Carangoides ruber and Horse-eye Jacks, Caranx latus are known to school around Reef Sharks. They are known to be cleaned of parasites by various gobies. They have the ability evert their stomachs to remove indigestible particles, parasites, and mucas from their stomach lining. Reproduction is viviparous and involves a 2- or 3-year cycles with 12-month gestation periods and litter sizes of 3 to 6 pups that appear as miniature adults. At birth, the pups measure between 74 cm (2 feet 5 inches). Females become pregnant every other year. The Reef Shark is poorly studied and very limited information has been documented about their behavioral patterns and biology.

The Reef Shark is very similar to the Bignose Shark, Carcharhinus altimus (larger snout, broad triangular teeth), the Blacktip Shark, Carcharhinus limbatus (pale white anal fin), the Dusky Shark, Carcharhinus obscurus (broadly triangular upper teeth and a much longer free rear tip of the second dorsal fin), the Galapagos Shark, Carcharhinus galapagensis (longer free rear tip of second dorsal fin), the Narrowtooth Shark, Carcharhinus brachyurus (lack the interdorsal ridge between the two dorsal fins), the Sandbar Shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus (shorter snout and large first dorsal fin originating over the pectoral fin), and the Silky Shark, Carcharhinus falciformis (much larger rear tip of second dorsal fin).

The Reef Shark is a resident of Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean being found throughout the Gulf of Mexico and along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Caribbean.

From a conservation perspective the Reef Shark is currently considered to be ENDANGERED with populations in many areas to be in significant decline. They have a low productivity rate with long reproduction cycles and small liter sizes. They are caught as a target species and as a bycatch of artisanal and commercial fishermen utilizing longlines and gill next. They are valued for their meat, leather, liver oil and in fishmeal and their fins are sold in Asian markets. They are known to accumulate toxins and their meat my contain high levels of mercury and heavy metals. They are significantly overfished. Of late they have become the focus of SCUBA divers and a booming ecotourist attraction. They are also suffering from the loss of local coral reef habitats. They are the subject of massive conservation efforts but in general the fisher is poorly monitored and poorly managed. The United States has banned all commercial landings. In Mexico their fishery is closed in certain areas year round and in other reasons during certain months; finning is prohibited. They are not considered to be overly dangerous to humans and will only attack if cornered or provoked.