Sealife guideThe copper sharkCarcharhinus brachyurus

Last updated on 01/22/2025 at 11:36 PM

Taxonomy

Common name: Copper shark, bronze whaler, narrow tooth shark
French name: Requin cuivre
Spanish name: Tiburón cobrizo
Scientific name: Carcharhinus brachyurus (Günther, 1870)
Family name: Carcharhinidae
Order name: Carcharhiniformes
Class name: Elasmobranchii

Description

The copper shark is a large shark species that can grow up to 10.8 feet in length and displays a color ranging from bronze to grayish-copper.

The copper shark (Carcharhinus brachyurus) © Angela Perryman | Dreamstime.com

Habitat

Preferring coastal waters, the copper shark is often observed near estuaries and shores, but it can also be found in deeper waters, down to approximately 328 feet.

Diet

The copper shark feeds on a wide variety of prey, including fish and cephalopods, and it occasionally hunts in groups within large schools of pelagic fish, such as sardine shoals.

Reproduction

The copper shark is a species of viviparous shark.

Did you know ?

The copper shark is listed as many other marine species within The IUCN Red List of threatened species. The copper shark appears in the IUCN Red List since 2020 within the category Vulnerable !

Within the same genus

Blacknose shark
(Carcharhinus acronotus)

Blacktip reef shark
(Carcharhinus melanopterus)

Blacktip shark
(Carcharhinus limbatus)

Bull shark
(Carcharhinus leucas)

Galapagos shark
(Carcharhinus galapagensis)

Grey reef shark
(Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos)

Oceanic whitetip shark
(Carcharhinus longimanus)

Sandbar shark
(Carcharhinus plumbeus)

Within the same family

Blue shark
(Prionace glauca)

Lemon shark
(Negaprion brevirostris)

Tiger shark
(Galeocerdo cuvier)

Whitetip reef shark
(Triaenodon obesus)

Discover also

Bonnethead shark
(Sphyrna tiburo)

Great white shark
(Carcharodon carcharias)

Leafscale gulper shark
(Centrophorus squamosus)

Leopard shark
(Triakis semifasciata)

Ornate wobbegong
(Orectolobus ornatus)

Pelagic thresher shark
(Alopias pelagicus)

Pyjama shark
(Poroderma africanum)

Small-spotted catshark
(Scyliorhinus canicula)

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