Marine Life

Bignose shark

Mendhan miyaru

Carcharhinus altimus

Carcharhinus altimus is considered to be a bottom-dwelling shark, and in the Maldives it is mainly caught on pelagic longlines at night (‘mendhan’ meaning midnight) over areas such as “Ali huras kandu”, where water depths are within its range, suggesting that this species is a diurnal vertical migrator.

Details

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size: Max. 3 m
color: Grey, white below. Fin tips dusky (except pelvic). White markings on flank inconspicuous.
order: Carcharhiniformes
family: Carcharhinidae
image url: https://assets.explore.mv/fishes/carcharhinus-altimus.png
habitat and biology: This shark is typically found in the depths of the ocean, between 90 and 430 meters, near the continental and insular shelves. It feeds on fishes, other sharks, sting rays, and cuttle fish. It is viviparous, with litters of 3 to 15 young.
distinctive characters: A large, fairly slender shark has a snout that is moderately long and bluntly pointed to rounded. Its upper teeth are serrated, broadly triangular, and erect in front of the mouth, while its lower teeth are narrow and finely serrated. There is a distinct skin ridge between the dorsal fins, and the first dorsal fin is moderately large and falcate, with its origin over the inner margins of the pectoral fins. The pectoral fins are long and not strongly falcate.