Diagnosis

A large but rather slender shark with a long, slightly pointed snout and prominent interdorsal ridge.  Nasal lobes prominently developed.  First dorsal fin moderately-sized, its height measuring 8.3 to 12.9% TL and with a bluntly-pointed apex; origin lies over or just posterior to the pectoral fin axils.  Second dorsal fin moderately-sized with a short rear-tip; anal fin slightly larger, with its origin slightly behind that of the 2nd dorsal.  Pectoral fins moderately long and rather straight, with the anterior margin measuring 19.6 to 24% of TL.  Upper-jaw teeth large, essentially triangular with serrated margins and becoming more obliquely-indented towards the rear of the jaw; lower teeth slender and erect with finely-serrated margins.  Colour  mid-grey or light-grey above, sometimes with a structural bronzy sheen, fading to white ventrally with an indistinct horizontal white band invading the darker flanks above the belly; fin tips other than pelvics dusky, especially ventral tips of the pectoral fins.

Size

To 282 cm TL, possibly 300 cm; size at birth ca. 70-90 cm.

Status and Distribution

Mediterranean Sea: Apparently rare; Southern Spain & Morocco. An adult female specimen of 196 cm TL, caught in May 1983 within the Gulf of Chafarinas (Morocco), represented the first Mediterranean specimen (Moreno & Hoyos, 1983); possibly more cosmopolitan in Western basin but rarely captured due to deep ranging-habits.

Biology

A primarily deepwater, offshore species found in warm-temperate and tropical zones, near the margins of continental and insular slopes at depths from near the surface down to 430 m, often cruises at depths over 90 m; juveniles may frequent shallower waters to 25 m.  Little is known about their occurrence or biology in Mediterranean waters; the Chafarinas specimen was caught 4 miles offshore at a depth of 2 to 3 metres, over a depth between 70 to 140 m. Bignose sharks feed on a variety of bony fish, possibly including mackerels (Scomber  scombrus  & Scomber japonicus) in the Mediterranean, other teleosts; also elasmobranchs  (Squalus sp. and Dasyatis sp.) and cephalopods. Viviparous, litter size varies from 3 - 11 pups, with Mediterranean specimens possibly  giving birth from August to September, in keeping with various other local carcharhinids (Moreno & Hoyos, 1983).   Males mature at 216-267 cm, females at 226-282 cm.