Common Sharks of the Northern Gulf of Mexico So you caught a sand shark? Estuaries are ecosystems where fresh and saltwater meet The northern Gulf of Mexico is home to several shark and mix. Estuaries provide nursery grounds for a wide species. A few of these species very closely resemble variety of invertebrate species such as oysters, shrimp, one another and are commonly referred to as and blue crabs along finfishes including croaker, red “sand sharks.” drum, spotted seatrout, tarpon, menhaden, flounder and many others. This infographic will help you quickly differentiate between the different “sand sharks” and also help you Because of this abundance, larger animals patrol coastal identify a few common offshore species. Gulf waters for food. Among these predators are a number of shark species. Sharpnose (3.5 ft) Blacknose (4ft) Finetooth (4ft) Blacktip (5ft) Maximum size of Human (avg. 5.5ft) . the coastal Spinner (6ft) sharks are Bull (8ft) depicted in scale Silky (9ft) Scalloped Hammerhead (10ft) Great Hammerhead (13ft) Maximum Adult Size Adult Maximum Tiger (15ft) 5 ft 10 ft 15 ft Blacktip shark Atlantic sharpnose shark Carcharhinus limbatus Rhizoprionodon terraenovae Spinner shark Easy ID: White “freckles” on the body Easy ID: Pointed snout, anal fin lacks a black tip Carcharhinus brevipinna Finetooth shark Blacknose shark Carcharhinus isodon Carcharhinus acronotus Easy ID: Black tip on anal fin present Easy ID: Distinct lack of black markings on fins, extremely pointed snout Easy ID: Distinct black smudge on the tip of the snout, feisty when caught Easy ID: Blacktip on fins Bull shark present, large robust Carcharhinus leucas body, short snout Great hammerhead Tiger shark Easy ID: Distinct flat hammerhead, and Easy ID: Distinct spot and stripe pattern down the extremely tall pronounced dorsal fin Sphyrna mokarran Galeocerdo cuvier body in juveniles Gulper shark Centrophorus granulosus Easy ID: Distinct lumi- Scalloped hammerhead nous green eye, pupil Easy ID: Interdorsal ridge down back, “silky” smooth Silky shark Sphyrna lewini skin, rounded dorsal fin Carcharhinus falciformes Easy ID: Distinct “scalloping” and rounding of hammerhead Photo credits: David Hay Jones, Trey Spearman, Eric Hoffmayer .