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FAQs about Shark Identification
Related Articles:
Sharks,
Sharks In My Living Room?,
Cartilaginous Fishes,
Blacktip Reef Shark, Nurse
Sharks, Coldwater Sharks, Leopard
Sharks, Port
Jackson Sharks, Moving Sharks,
Related FAQs: Shark Systems 1,
Shark Systems 1, Sharks in General,
Shark Behavior, Shark Compatibility,
Selection, Feeding,
Diseases,
Shark, Ray Eggs,
Coldwater Sharks,
Leopard Sharks,
Heterodontus,
Blacktip Reef Sharks, Nurse Sharks,
Moving Sharks, | 
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Pulau Perhentian sharks
6/28/09
Hi Bob,
<Darryl>
No I'm not gonna try and keep one! But I was wondering if you knew what
the white-tipped sharks were that I often encounter snorkeling / diving
in the shallow reefs just off shore from Pulau Perhentian, a
bit north of Redang. They look like very much like grey reef sharks (C.
amblyrhynchos ) but with white-tipped fins. They're definitely not C.
triaenodon, which was my first thought - too big/bulky. One of the
locals claimed that they're juvenile C. longimanus.
<Mmm, when I put your subject/title in Google, it mainly brings up
Chiloscyllium griseum>
I bought that for a while, but now that I've become more curious, that
seems unlikely too. The size is right >6ft but their fins are pointed
rather than rounded. So, now I'm thinking that maybe they're C.
albimarginatus, but what seen I've of their range doesn't include
Malaysia, though the Philippines are included, and "data deficient"
doesn't tell me much.
Just curious as to who it is that comes to check me out as I hang
helpless in the water.
Darryl
<Do you have a pic? BobF>
Re: Pulau Perhentian sharks
6/28/09
Huh, nothing like C. griseum. I guess you haven't seem 'em down at
Redang. They're definitely Carcharhinidae -
<Mmm, did see what I believe to be a resident group of C.
melanopterus... this is the likely animal>
classic requiem - and only meters off the shore from the Perhentian
Island Resort. But honestly I'm more afraid of these smallish
damsel-looking fish out there. You have to snorkel over their sandy
nests to get out to the rocks.
<Heeeee! I agree with you... much more aggressive, given to biting>
I've never seen a more wantonly aggressive fish. Oh, they're cute, until
you're gasping at the surface, holding your bloody leg, wondering what
just happened.
Definitely worth a trip to see, but don't stay at the "Resort". It's a
dump. Ask or Aziz at Mama's Place, just down the beach. Go during baby
turtle season - Aziz runs an admirable little rescue operation from
the beach, most of the other locals just eat the eggs. Mmmm, leatherback
on toast.
Thanks anyway.
D. taylorinius
<Thanks much for sharing. Bobbus Bieramicus>
Australian scuba trip
– 04/19/08
Hey
Bob! I wanted to know if you could identify the fish in the
background as being a native of OZ as I think this may be another
case of hoaxing that could be dispelled by someone with field and
identity experience.
<Heee! Have seen this PS pic...
Carcharhinus carcharodon...>
BTW..........we are having a Cinco
de Mayo party at our house on the Saturday the 3rd. Please feel free
to make a reservation and stay at the Hotel Zunich. Cheers, john
<Will chat w/ Di re. Cheers! BobF> | 
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What kind of shark is this? 3/14/08
I have never seen anything
like this in a tank before--any idea what kind of shark it is? If you
want to see it in motion, that's at the very beginning of the clip here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1IA0X70UD4o&feature=related-- Michael Malice
<Is a brown dogfish, smoothhound... Likely Mustelus henlei... see here:
http://fishbase.org/search.php
Bob Fenner> | 
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Happy new year! Shark ID,
UW photography, dive adventures
Hey dogfish,
<Chris>
hope
the holidays treated you well and that it was a safe holiday season.
things were enjoyable out east. moist sushi did some diving over in the
red sea while she was over that way for business. sounds pretty nice.
couple things.... 1. can you ID the shark in this picture? I'm guessing
it washed up on the beach but I don't know for sure. It's a beach on the
Outer Banks, NC. My friends who found it, said it was about 12' in
length. They thought it was a great white but I'm not the expert that
you are.
<Is almost certainly a Basking Shark, Cetorhinus maximus>
2. I'm looking for a second strobe for my camera rig. what kind of Inon
strobe did I borrow from you?
<An older model... don't think they
produce it anymore... I would look for a recent in-production one... on
sale!>
3. Meghan may have a business trip out to HI in Feb/March. Not
sure what island her business on and I don't recall which island your
place is on. It would be fun to catch up out there if schedules work
out. I've a got a friend out there that works in the dive industry and
keeps telling me about the night dives with the mantas. sounds really
cool!<Please have her email or call me there (808 331 XXXX)... I'll be
out that way till 2/19... on the Big Island>
4. scuba cruise 08. I
have several ideas.- found another live aboard company. cost a bit more
than black beards but the ship is 106'; they have cabins vs. racks; and
max pax load is 18. hot showers on the dive deck and nitrox. my thinking
is to see how many folks are interested and then decided whether a live
aboard will work or to do a land based trip. Bonaire keeps popping into
my head since they seem to avoid most of the 'canes. I know you are not
on the scuba cruise yahoo group, so I wanted to let you know and also
hear your opinion.
happy new year and happy diving! Pulls
<You as
well my friend. Do you have interest in hauling out to the Far East with
us/groups in 08? If so, I'll email you the particulars... Cheers,
Bob/DF> | 
Re: mystery shark 1/8/08
Hi Bob,
> > FWIW, you're
spot on about that carcass being a basking shark. The gill slits
going almost all the way round to the top of the 'neck' is the give
away. Very cool creature, and a lucky find.
Cheers, Neale
<Must've shocked some folks when found washed up on shore! BobF>
Re: mystery shark 1/8/08
Hi Robert,
<Neale>
Basking sharks are (apparently) quite common along the west coast of
the UK at certain times of the year (never seen them myself). There
used to be a major fishery for them at the Isle of Man. There was
always a mystery over why you only saw them at certain times of the
year. When I was at university, we were told they hibernated in the
winter time, shedding their gill rakers.
<? Strange... thought
these were constantly regrown, functioned as strainers...>
According to the Basking Shark Trust, recent studies say they feed
on deep water plankton. So I learned something new today, thanks to
that photo! http://www.baskingsharks.org/ > Shark watchers in
England have been a bit fevered the last year, because of possible
great white sightings here. In the latest report, the photo of a
grey seal with a whopping great bite out of the side is pretty
scary. The "theory" is that global warming is encouraging fish
resident in the Mediterranean (like the GWS) to move further north.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article643371.ece On the
other hand, we do get porbeagles here regularly, and they're pretty
big animals. Likewise threshers, though they tend to be more in the
Gulf Stream than around the east coast where it's colder.
Cheers, Neale
<Let's go diving! BobF>> |
Bamboo/Wobby shark attack 3/29/07
The article said this is
a Wobbegong...it clearly isn't. What species of bamboo is it?
(Attached pic)
bamboo owner
<Mmm... does look like an
Orectolobid, Carpet Shark to me... the nasal flaps, dorso-ventral
compression... and biting habit... Is a Wobby... likely O.
japonicus. Bob Fenner> | Re:
bamboo shark attack 3/29/07
Are you sure?
<Almost
certain>
There seem to be only two nasal flaps like a
bamboo and the coloration is not reticulated like practically
all wobbegongs possess. I think that bamboos should be added to
the man-eater list!!
Scared of my tank,
bill
<Heeee!
I've been chased by Carpet Sharks in the wild... luckily/happily
not by Bamboos/Epaulettes! Bob Fenner> | 
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Zebra Shark? - 09/07/06
Someone told me it is a Zebra shark?
<<Mmm, if this is so (Stegostoma fasciatum) this shark will outgrow your
system (some 7+ feet at maturity)>> <Much larger. RMF>
Can you send
me to a shark expert to get more understanding of what I have here?
Brandon
<<Try contacting the National Aquarium of Baltimore, they
have/care for a female of this species there (http://www.aqua.org/animals_zebrashark.html). Regards,
EricR>>
Shark ID - 09/02/06
Can you give ma better idea of what this
is? It is about 3.5 inches- 4 inches.
<Mmm, small! Looks like a
Bamboo Shark... likely a Chiloscyllium species...>
If not can
you send me somewhere that can. I have looked in a lot of books and
online. I think it is a cat shark of some kind but would like more
info on it.
Was sold as a marble cat shark but it doesn't look
right for the species.
<Agreed... the head is not right at all.
Bob Fenner>
Thank you
Brandon |
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Caribbean Shark? ID 3/16/06
Hello,
<Hi there>
While snorkeling off of St. Thomas, several of us spotted 4 shark-like
species. The color was pale blue, size was approx 6-8 ft in length and
had the same fins like that of a shark.
<Likely Silkies,
http://filaman.ifm-geomar.de/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=868>
It was definitely not a typical bonnet head shark. The snout looked
like an imprint of a tennis shoe, the length of the
snout was about
1/3 to 1/2 the size of a swordfish. The Captain of the trip said they
were a type of shark - he was not in the
water at the
time and did not see them. Most recently, I was told by another Captain
on a more recent BVI snorkeling
group that they were most likely
Remora fish that feed off of sharks.
<Not really off of
them... but on scraps... from them>
However, my research online of
Remora's did not look anything like the species we
had seen. The
disc-like sucker on the head of the Remora was similar to what
we
had seen. This imprint was located past the head, as if it were the
"snout".
Thank you for any information you may have to
offer.
Kathleen
<See fishbase.org re. There are a few
possibilities. Bob Fenner>
Could you please explain the
differences between the coral catshark (Atelomycterus marmoratus) and
the marble catshark (Atelomycterus macleayi)??? - 01/12/2006
<See on fishbase.org... actually just looked... don't have a pic of the
latter... but the Coral is distinctive in appearance and they do, oh and
we do, have pix of this>
I ordered the Sharks and Rays book but it
hasn't arrived yet, and the local library did not have a copy. I am
looking specifically for information concerning the differences in
appearance and behavior (if any). Thanks a lot, and keep up the good
work!
Robert
<Similar in terms of behavior, care... Bob Fenner>
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