Sandbar Shark

The sandbar shark Carcharhinus plumbeus lives in tropical and subtropical waters in all the world's seas and oceans, including the Mediterranean Sea and the Adriatic Sea, where it used to startle gondoliers on the canals of Venice. It inhabits shallow coastal waters to a depth of 250 m (820 ft) and is frequently seen in estuaries.

Spending much of its time close to the sea bed, it feeds on bottom-dwelling crustaceans, molluscs and fish. It occasionally eats mid-water fish and squid, particularly in deeper water. Evidence of scavenging inshore comes with the remains of pork and beef refuse in sandbar stomachs.

Mature adults have a stocky body, and they grow remarkably slowly, reaching sexual maturity at a length of 1.7 m (5.5 ft), as late as 30 years old. They have a maximum size approaching 3m (10 ft), that is, if they make it this far, for juvenile sandbars fall prey to many other shark species, including bull and great white sharks.