Pondicherry shark

Pondicherry shark
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Order: Carcharhiniformes
Family: Carcharhinidae
Genus: Carcharhinus
Species:
C. hemiodon
Binomial name
Carcharhinus hemiodon
Range of the Pondicherry shark[1]
Synonyms

Carcharias hemiodon J. P. Müller & Henle (ex Valenciennes), 1839
Carcharias watu Setna & Sarangdhar, 1946
Hypoprion atripinnis Chu, 1960

The Pondicherry shark (Carcharhinus hemiodon) is an extremely rare species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae. A small and stocky gray shark, it grows not much longer than 1 m (3.3 ft) and has a fairly long, pointed snout. This species can be identified by the shape of its upper teeth, which are strongly serrated near the base and smooth-edged near the tip, and by its first dorsal fin, which is large with a long free rear tip. Furthermore, this shark has prominent black tips on its pectoral fins, second dorsal fin, and caudal fin lower lobe.

The Pondicherry shark is critically endangered. It was once found throughout Indo-Pacific coastal waters from the Gulf of Oman to New Guinea, and is known to enter fresh water. Fewer than 20 specimens are available for study, and most aspects of its natural history are unknown. It probably feeds on bony fishes, cephalopods, and crustaceans, and gives birth to live young with the embryos forming a placental connection to their mother. While the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Pondicherry shark as Critically endangered, it had been thought to be extinct since the 1970s. It is probably threatened by intense and escalating fishing pressure throughout its range. The shark is among the 25 "most wanted lost" species that are the focus of Global Wildlife Conservation's "Search for Lost Species" initiative.[2] The Pondicherry has been spotted in rivers in India in the late 2010s.[3] A Pondicherry shark was caught in the Menik Ganga (river) in SE Sri Lanka in 2011. It was photographed and released alive.

  1. ^ a b Kyne, P.M.; Jabado, R.W.; Akhilesh, K.V.; Bineesh, K.K.; Booth, H.; Dulvy, N.K.; Ebert, D.A.; Fernando, D.; Khan, M.; Tanna, A.; Finucci, B. (2022) [errata version of 2021 assessment]. "Carcharhinus hemiodon". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T39369A221513674. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T39369A221513674.en. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  2. ^ "The Search for Lost Species". Global Wildlife Conservation. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  3. ^ Sankar, K. N. Murali (September 10, 2018). "'Pondicherry shark' spotted near Kakinada". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.