Facts about Silky Sharks
The silky shark, Carcharhinus falciformis, is a large pelagic shark. It lives in tropical and warm temperate seas. The silky shark is found to depths of at least 500 m. The silky shark will most likely be found on reefs which have deep dropoffs. The maximum size of these sharks is 3.3 m, but the length is usually not more than 2.4 m. They are approximately 80 cm long at birth. It is usually pelagic, but sometimes approaches the coast, especially at remote offshore islands. The silky shark is brown-grey dorsally and white below with no special markings. Silky sharks are not generally dangerous to divers, but in the presence of speared fish or if approached directly they can become aggressive. This shark has a large 'typical' shark body, slender with 'silky' smooth skin. Sexual maturity is reached near a length of about 2.2 m for females and 2.0 m for males. It can be distinguished from other sharks by the second dorsal fin, which has a very long free tip at the rear, about two and a half times the fin height. The silky shark feeds mainly on inshore and pelagic bony fishes, but also eats squid and pelagic crab. These sharks are viviparous (young fed in utero by a placental sac), with a litter size varying from 2 to 14. |
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