Copper shark

What it is

This requiem shark has a slender, streamlined body with a bronze or olive-grey upper side that fades to white below. Its snout is long and pointed, featuring distinctive narrow, hook-shaped upper teeth. The first dorsal fin is tall and pointed, while the second is small. A key identifier is the lack of a prominent ridge between the two dorsal fins. Adults can reach 3.3 metres in length and weigh over 300 kilograms. The colour often shows a metallic sheen, sometimes with a pink cast, but lacks obvious fin markings.

Where it lives

Unlike most relatives, this species prefers temperate waters above 12 degrees Celsius. Populations are scattered across the northeastern and southwestern Atlantic, southern Africa, and parts of the Pacific including Australia, New Zealand, and the Americas. It inhabits diverse environments from shallow estuaries and river mouths to offshore depths of 100 metres. Juveniles stay in shallow inshore waters, while adults migrate seasonally between subtropical wintering grounds and higher latitude coastal areas in spring and summer.

How it lives

Fast and active, these sharks hunt alone, in pairs, or in large loose schools. They feed primarily on cephalopods like squid and octopus, as well as bony fish and other sharks. Off South Africa, they follow the annual sardine run, consuming vast numbers of pilchards. Large groups may cooperate to herd prey into tight balls before feeding. They are preyed upon by larger sharks and killer whales. Parasites include various tapeworms, leeches, and flukes. They do not typically attack marine mammals but may scavenge on dead dolphins.

Breeding and life cycle

Females give birth to live young after a gestation period of 12 to 21 months. Embryos develop via a placental connection formed from the yolk sac. Litters contain 7 to 24 pups. Mating occurs in offshore waters during spring and early summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Females use shallow coastal bays and inlets as nurseries to protect young from predation. Growth is extremely slow, with males reaching maturity at 13 to 19 years and females at 19 to 20 years. They reproduce only every other year.

Fish and people

Commercial and recreational fisheries value this shark for its meat. It ranks tenth in unprovoked attacks on humans, though recorded incidents are low with only one fatal attack noted. The name whaler comes from 19th-century crews observing them around harpooned whales. In New Zealand and Australia, it is a common catch. Its slow growth and late maturity make populations sensitive to overfishing. Traditional uses include food, but no specific cultural rituals are detailed beyond general consumption.

Status and threats

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the species as Vulnerable. Population sizes are unknown, but numbers have declined in some areas. The primary threat is its susceptibility to depletion due to low reproductive rates and slow growth. Fishing pressure from commercial and recreational sectors contributes to this decline. Conservation efforts are hindered by the difficulty in distinguishing it from similar species like the dusky shark, leading to potential misidentification in catch records.

Questions people ask about Copper shark

Good reading and sources

• Copper shark on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos
• Wikidata recordOpen data