Carcharhinidae, Jordan & Evermann, 1896

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 44

Family Carcharhinidae

Requiem sharks

The family of about 12 genera and 58 species of large sharks is found worldwide in tropical and subtropical waters. It is distinguished from all other families of sharks by having an anal fin, five gill-slits, a streamlined body, several rows of triangular teeth in the jaws, two dorsals without an anterior spine, and a short head,not laterally widened to a “hammer” shape. The largest species of the family is the tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier , reaching up to 7 m. However, most requiem sharks reach 3 m or less. One species,the bull shark, regularly enters freshwater habitats and penetrates up to 4000 km inland in the Amazon.It is known to breed in freshwaters and occurs in some lakes in Central America and New Guinea,where it is the victim of massive overfishing. All requiem sharks reproduce viviparously, with internal fertilization. Unlike many other sharks, they do not feed their young with unfertilised eggs in the uterus, and they are not cannibalistic. Several marine shark species have been reported from the Shatt al Arab in Iraq. To identify them, identification resources about marine sharks must be consulted. Further reading: Ebert et al. 2013 (diversity); Nelson et al. 2016 (diversity).