Squalus plumbeus                                                 Photo Fiona Sunquist ©

The sandbar sharks most distinguishing feature is its tall first dorsal fin. This shark has a global distribution and is the most abundant species of large shark in the Western Atlantic. It is a bottom-dwelling, shallow coastal water species. It spends most of its time in water from 20-65 m (60-200 feet) deep, and is an opportunistic bottom feeder, eating a variety of fish, eels, rays, octopus, squid, shrimp and crabs.

Sandbar sharks are targeted by commercial fishermen along the east coast of the US because they have desirable meat and a large fins – which are sought after in Asia for sharks fin soup. They are also valuable as a game fish.

The sandbar shark prefers small prey and poses little threat to humans.

This link will take you to the species account for the Sandbar shark at the Ichthyology section of the Florida Museum of Natural History.

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