Sandbar shark
| Diet | Fishes, eels, rays, small sharks, octopuses, squid, clams, shrimp and crabs |
|---|---|
| Size | Common length: 6.5 feet (200 cm). Max weight: 260 pounds (117.9 kg) |
| Type | Sharks & Rays |
| Range | Tropical and subtropical Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans |
| Habitat | Shallow, coastal areas near deep-water dropoffs |
About the Sandbar shark
Sandbar sharks, the largest sharks in Wild Reef, continually cruise through their habitat. As obligate ram ventilators, these sharks must keep moving to push the oxygen in the water over their gills so that they can breathe.
Did you know?
- A tail for traveling and a sleek body propel the eight-foot sandbar shark great distances, as much as 1,700 miles. These sharks swim together in same-sex schools, often consisting of hundreds of sharks.
- Why don’t the sharks eat these fish? Each species of shark (and ray) here has been trained to recognize feeding cues and to take food from aquarists.
- During feedings, the sharks receive a set quantity of restaurant quality seafood. Satisfied sharks don’t need to eat their neighbors.
- Although sandbars are large and light in color, they are NOT related to great white sharks.
- Sandbar sharks give birth to live young, litters of 6-13 pups every 2 to 3 years after a gestation period of 8-12 months.
IUCN Red List Conservation Status
A Wide-Ranging Shark
Sandbar sharks are found in nearly every temperate or tropical coastal habitat around the world, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Mediterranean to the Galapagos Islands to the Indo-Pacific. These dusky brown predators prefer to stick close to the sandy ocean floor — hence their name — where they hunt bony fishes, smaller sharks and rays, octopuses, shrimps and snails. Among Shedd's sharks, the big sandbars are some of the lightest eaters. A 150-pound female might take 2½ pounds of food three times a week.
Slow Growth + Small Litters = A Conservation Problem
Sandbars are among the shark species that bear live young. Small litters every other year or two are balanced by the slow-maturing species' longevity, and older, larger females produce more pups — between seven and 13. Due to overfishing, including illegal finning, however, they don't always get that chance. Sandbar populations in the southwestern Atlantic were especially hard hit by overfishing several decades ago. Only through fishery regulations have their numbers begun to increase. Continued research into shark biology, in the field and in aquariums, and effective protections, including marine sanctuaries, are needed to help these elegant predators survive.
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Meet the Sharks
From reef sharks in constant motion to small deep-ocean sharks resting vertically on a rock wall, these awe-inspiring predators are found across our ocean — and throughout Shedd Aquarium. Elegantly slicing through the water, each is different from the next, but all display an eye-catching mixture of beauty and grace. Look closer at the sharks that call Shedd home.