Carcharhinus fitzroyensis (Whitley, 1943)
Creek whaler
Carcharhinus fitzroyensis
photo by McAuley, R.

Family:  Carcharhinidae (Requiem sharks)
Max. size:  135 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  demersal; brackish; marine; depth range 0 - 40 m
Distribution:  Western Pacific: northern Australia, from Western Australia to Queensland. Recorded in the Arafura Sea (Ref. 9819).
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 0-0; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 0-0. Bronze above, fading to grayish brown after death and in preserved specimens; light below, without conspicuous markings on fins; no conspicuous white band on flanks (Ref. 9997).
Biology:  A little-known shark found inshore and offshore on the continental shelves from the intertidal to at least 40 m depth (Ref. 9997). Feeds mainly on teleost fishes, also crustaceans (Ref. 6871). Viviparous (Ref. 50449). Utilized for human consumption (Ref. 244, 9997) and probably for the oriental shark fin trade (Ref. 244).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 20 July 2018 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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