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Negaprion acutidens (Sharptooth lemon shark)
(Rüppell, 1837)
Life
> Eukaryotes >
Opisthokonta
> Metazoa (animals) >
Bilateria >
Deuterostomia > Chordata >
Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates) > Gnathostomata (jawed
vertebrates) >.Chondrichthyes >
Elasmobranchii > Galeomorphii >
Carcharhiniformes >
Carcharhinidae
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Negaprion acutidens (Sharptooth lemon shark) [Illustration
by Ann Hecht ©] |
Identification
A big, stocky, yellowish shark with the 2nd
dorsal fin as large as the 1st, a broad, blunt snout, and narrow,
smooth-cusped teeth in both jaws.
Size
To 3.1 m TL.
Range
East
coast, northern Natal and Mozambique; Indian Ocean and west-central
Pacific.
Habitat
Inshore in the tropics, often on coral reefs, from
the intertidal to 30 m.
Biology
Bears 1 to 13 young, gestation
period 10 months. Feeds on bottom-dwelling bony fish and stingrays.
Human Impact
Can be aggressive when accosted by divers.
Text by Leonard J.V. Compagno, David A. Ebert
and Malcolm J. Smale
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