Vulnerable/ Endangered/ critically Endangered sharks
There are 70+ species of threatened sharks in the marine waters. This is a list of all the sharks that are currently threatened. Here you will find the order, latin name, common name and level that they are threatened at. See the "Shark Biology page for more information about sharks"
ORDER: ANGEL SHARKS
Basic information:
Number of species: 19
Body shape: Flattened body, top to bottom. Eyes on top, many species grow to 5 feet.
Mouth position: Mouth on the terminal side, blunt snout
Reproduction: Ovoviviparous, the eggs develop in the mothers body and are then born alive.
Unique qualities: Some types of angel sharks have fleshy barbels like the ornate angel shark.
Habitat: Temperate-tropical marine dwelling. Eastern and western atlantic, southwestern indian, easter and western pacific oceans.
Squatina aculeate: Sawback angel shark-Critically endangered
Squatina albipunctata: Eastern angel shark- Vulnerable
Squatina argentina: Argentine angel shark- Endangered
Squatina Formosa: Taiwan angel shark- Endangered
Squatina Guggenheim: Hidden angel shark- Endangered
Squatina japonica: Japanese angel shark- Vulnerable
Squatina nebulosa: Clouded angel shark- Vulnerable
Squatina oculata: Smoothback angel shark- Critically endangered
Squatina punctate: Angular angel shark- Endangered
Squatina Squatina: Angel shark- Critically endangered
Squatina tergocellatoides: Ocellated angelshark- Vulnerable
ORDER: CARPET SHARKS
Basic information:
Number of species: 39
Body shape: many are flattened, some are rounded
Mouth position: short mouth underneath, it ends before the eyes
Reproduction: Some oviparous (egg producers) some are Ovoviviparous (eggs developing in the mother womb, then are born alive)
Unique qualities: Some have specialized barbels
Habitat: temperate-tropical marine habitat, dwelling on the bottom. Atlantic, pacific and Indian oceans. The whale shark is an exception, living mostly at the surface in warm waters.
Brachaelurus colcloughi: Bluegrey carpetshark- Vulnerable
Hemiscyllium hallstromi: Papuan epaulette shark- Vulnerable
Hemiscyllium strahani: Hooded carpet shark-Vulnerable
Nebrius ferrugineus: Tawny nurse shark-vulnerable
Pseudoginglymostoma brevicaudatum: Shorttail nurse shark- Vulnerable
Rhincodon typus: Whale shark- Vulnerable
Stegostoma fasciatum: Zebra shark- Vulnerable
ORDER: DOGFISH
Basic information:
Number of species: 119
Body shape: rounded, other variation according to species
Mouth position: underneath
Reproduction: Ovoviviparous, eggs developing in the mothers body and are then born alive.
Unique qualities: Many dogfish are bioluminescent, creating their own light in the deep.
Habitat: Most species are bottom oriented, but dogfish are widely diversified and wide-ranging, living in deep and shallow waters.
Centrophorus granulosus: Gulper shark- Vulnerable
Centrophorus harrissoni: Dumb gulper shark- Endangered
Centrophorus lusitanicus: Lowfin gulper shark- Vulnerable
Centrophorus squamosus: Deepwater spiny dogfish- Vulnerable
Oxynotus centrina: Angular rough shark- Vulnerable
Squalus acanthias: Spikey dogfish- Vulnerable
Squalus montalbani: Philippines spurdog- Vulnerable
ORDER: GROUND SHARK
Basic information:
Number of species: 277
Body shape: despite number of species, most ground sharks have rounded bodies.
Mouth position: underneath
Reproduction: variable- either ovoviviparous, viviparous or oviparous.
Unique qualities: eyes have nictitating membranes or lower eyelids.
Habitat: broad range of habitat
Atelomycterus baliensis: Bali catshark- Vulnerable
Aulohalaelurus kanakorum: New Caledonia catshark- Vulnerable
Carcharhinus borneensis: Borneo shark- Endangered
Carcharhinus hemiodon: Pondicherry shark- Critically endangered
Carcharhinus leiodon: Smoothtooth blacktip shark- Vulnerable
Carcharhinus longimanus: Oceanic whitetip shark- Vulnerable
Carcharhinus obscurus: Dusky shark- Vulnerable
Carcharhinus plumbeus: Sandbar shark- Vulnerable
Carcharhinus signatus: Night shark - Vulnerable
Chaenogaleus macrostoma: Hooktooth shark- Vulnerable
Galeorhinus galeus: School shark- Vulnerable
Galeus mincaroneI: Southern sawtail catshark- Vulnerable
Glyphis gangeticus: Ganges shark- Critically endangered
Glyphis garricki: New Guinea river shark- Critically endangered
Glyphis glyphis: Speartooth shark- Endangered
Glyphis siamensis: Irrawaddy river shark- Critically endangered
Haploblepharus fuscus: Brown shyshark- Vulnerable
Haploblepharus kistnasamyi: Natal shyshark- Critically endangered
Hemigaleus microstoma: Sickle fin weasel shark- Vulnerable
Hemipristis elongate: Snaggletooth shark- Vulnerable
Hemitriakis leucoperiptera: Whitefin topeshark- Endangered
Holohalaelurus favus: Honeycomb Izak- Endangered
Holohalaelurus punctatus: Whitespotted Izak- Endangered
Isogomphodon oxyrhynchus: Daggernose shark- Critically endangered
Lamiopsis temminckii: Broadfin shark- Endangered
Mustelus fasciatus: Striped smooth-hound decreasing- Critically endangered
Mustelus mustelus: Common smoothhound- Vulnerable
Mustelus schmitti: Narrownose smoothhound- Endangered
Mustelus whitneyi: Humpback smoothhound- Vulnerable
Negaprion acutidens: Sharptooth lemon shark- Vulnerable
Schroederichthys saurisqualus: Lizard catshark- Vulnerable
Scylliogaleus quecketti: Flapnose houndshark- Vulnerable
Sphyrna lewini: Scalloped hammerhead- Endangered
Sphyrna mokarran: Great hammerhead- Endangered
Sphyrna tudes: Smalleye hammerhead- Vulnerable
Sphyrna zygaena: Smooth hammerhead- Vulnerable
Triakis acutipinna: Sharpfin houndshark- Endangered
Triakis maculate: Spotted houndshark- Vulnerable
ORDER: MACKEREL SHARKS
Basic Information:
Number of species: 15
Body shape: Rounded body shape
Mouth position: underneath, extends well past the eyes
Reproduction: Ovoviviparous, eggs developing inside the mother and then born alive
Unique qualities: Large anterior teeth, like the great white shark.
Habitat: Broad range of habitat.
Triakis maculate: Spotted houndshark- Vulnerable
Alopias pelagicus: Pelagic thresher- Vulnerable
Alopias superciliosus: Bigeye thresher shark- Vulnerable
Alopias vulpinus: Common thresher- Vulnerable
Carcharias Taurus: Sand tiger- Vulnerable
Carcharodon carcharias: Great white shark- Vulnerable
Cetorhinus maximus: Basking shark- Vulnerable
Isurus oxyrinchus: Shortfin mako- Vulnerable
Isurus paucus: Longfin mako- Vulnerable
Lamna nasus: Porbeagle- Vulnerable
Odontaspis ferox: Small-tooth sand tiger shark- Vulnerable
Basic information:
Number of species: 19
Body shape: Flattened body, top to bottom. Eyes on top, many species grow to 5 feet.
Mouth position: Mouth on the terminal side, blunt snout
Reproduction: Ovoviviparous, the eggs develop in the mothers body and are then born alive.
Unique qualities: Some types of angel sharks have fleshy barbels like the ornate angel shark.
Habitat: Temperate-tropical marine dwelling. Eastern and western atlantic, southwestern indian, easter and western pacific oceans.
Squatina aculeate: Sawback angel shark-Critically endangered
Squatina albipunctata: Eastern angel shark- Vulnerable
Squatina argentina: Argentine angel shark- Endangered
Squatina Formosa: Taiwan angel shark- Endangered
Squatina Guggenheim: Hidden angel shark- Endangered
Squatina japonica: Japanese angel shark- Vulnerable
Squatina nebulosa: Clouded angel shark- Vulnerable
Squatina oculata: Smoothback angel shark- Critically endangered
Squatina punctate: Angular angel shark- Endangered
Squatina Squatina: Angel shark- Critically endangered
Squatina tergocellatoides: Ocellated angelshark- Vulnerable
ORDER: CARPET SHARKS
Basic information:
Number of species: 39
Body shape: many are flattened, some are rounded
Mouth position: short mouth underneath, it ends before the eyes
Reproduction: Some oviparous (egg producers) some are Ovoviviparous (eggs developing in the mother womb, then are born alive)
Unique qualities: Some have specialized barbels
Habitat: temperate-tropical marine habitat, dwelling on the bottom. Atlantic, pacific and Indian oceans. The whale shark is an exception, living mostly at the surface in warm waters.
Brachaelurus colcloughi: Bluegrey carpetshark- Vulnerable
Hemiscyllium hallstromi: Papuan epaulette shark- Vulnerable
Hemiscyllium strahani: Hooded carpet shark-Vulnerable
Nebrius ferrugineus: Tawny nurse shark-vulnerable
Pseudoginglymostoma brevicaudatum: Shorttail nurse shark- Vulnerable
Rhincodon typus: Whale shark- Vulnerable
Stegostoma fasciatum: Zebra shark- Vulnerable
ORDER: DOGFISH
Basic information:
Number of species: 119
Body shape: rounded, other variation according to species
Mouth position: underneath
Reproduction: Ovoviviparous, eggs developing in the mothers body and are then born alive.
Unique qualities: Many dogfish are bioluminescent, creating their own light in the deep.
Habitat: Most species are bottom oriented, but dogfish are widely diversified and wide-ranging, living in deep and shallow waters.
Centrophorus granulosus: Gulper shark- Vulnerable
Centrophorus harrissoni: Dumb gulper shark- Endangered
Centrophorus lusitanicus: Lowfin gulper shark- Vulnerable
Centrophorus squamosus: Deepwater spiny dogfish- Vulnerable
Oxynotus centrina: Angular rough shark- Vulnerable
Squalus acanthias: Spikey dogfish- Vulnerable
Squalus montalbani: Philippines spurdog- Vulnerable
ORDER: GROUND SHARK
Basic information:
Number of species: 277
Body shape: despite number of species, most ground sharks have rounded bodies.
Mouth position: underneath
Reproduction: variable- either ovoviviparous, viviparous or oviparous.
Unique qualities: eyes have nictitating membranes or lower eyelids.
Habitat: broad range of habitat
Atelomycterus baliensis: Bali catshark- Vulnerable
Aulohalaelurus kanakorum: New Caledonia catshark- Vulnerable
Carcharhinus borneensis: Borneo shark- Endangered
Carcharhinus hemiodon: Pondicherry shark- Critically endangered
Carcharhinus leiodon: Smoothtooth blacktip shark- Vulnerable
Carcharhinus longimanus: Oceanic whitetip shark- Vulnerable
Carcharhinus obscurus: Dusky shark- Vulnerable
Carcharhinus plumbeus: Sandbar shark- Vulnerable
Carcharhinus signatus: Night shark - Vulnerable
Chaenogaleus macrostoma: Hooktooth shark- Vulnerable
Galeorhinus galeus: School shark- Vulnerable
Galeus mincaroneI: Southern sawtail catshark- Vulnerable
Glyphis gangeticus: Ganges shark- Critically endangered
Glyphis garricki: New Guinea river shark- Critically endangered
Glyphis glyphis: Speartooth shark- Endangered
Glyphis siamensis: Irrawaddy river shark- Critically endangered
Haploblepharus fuscus: Brown shyshark- Vulnerable
Haploblepharus kistnasamyi: Natal shyshark- Critically endangered
Hemigaleus microstoma: Sickle fin weasel shark- Vulnerable
Hemipristis elongate: Snaggletooth shark- Vulnerable
Hemitriakis leucoperiptera: Whitefin topeshark- Endangered
Holohalaelurus favus: Honeycomb Izak- Endangered
Holohalaelurus punctatus: Whitespotted Izak- Endangered
Isogomphodon oxyrhynchus: Daggernose shark- Critically endangered
Lamiopsis temminckii: Broadfin shark- Endangered
Mustelus fasciatus: Striped smooth-hound decreasing- Critically endangered
Mustelus mustelus: Common smoothhound- Vulnerable
Mustelus schmitti: Narrownose smoothhound- Endangered
Mustelus whitneyi: Humpback smoothhound- Vulnerable
Negaprion acutidens: Sharptooth lemon shark- Vulnerable
Schroederichthys saurisqualus: Lizard catshark- Vulnerable
Scylliogaleus quecketti: Flapnose houndshark- Vulnerable
Sphyrna lewini: Scalloped hammerhead- Endangered
Sphyrna mokarran: Great hammerhead- Endangered
Sphyrna tudes: Smalleye hammerhead- Vulnerable
Sphyrna zygaena: Smooth hammerhead- Vulnerable
Triakis acutipinna: Sharpfin houndshark- Endangered
Triakis maculate: Spotted houndshark- Vulnerable
ORDER: MACKEREL SHARKS
Basic Information:
Number of species: 15
Body shape: Rounded body shape
Mouth position: underneath, extends well past the eyes
Reproduction: Ovoviviparous, eggs developing inside the mother and then born alive
Unique qualities: Large anterior teeth, like the great white shark.
Habitat: Broad range of habitat.
Triakis maculate: Spotted houndshark- Vulnerable
Alopias pelagicus: Pelagic thresher- Vulnerable
Alopias superciliosus: Bigeye thresher shark- Vulnerable
Alopias vulpinus: Common thresher- Vulnerable
Carcharias Taurus: Sand tiger- Vulnerable
Carcharodon carcharias: Great white shark- Vulnerable
Cetorhinus maximus: Basking shark- Vulnerable
Isurus oxyrinchus: Shortfin mako- Vulnerable
Isurus paucus: Longfin mako- Vulnerable
Lamna nasus: Porbeagle- Vulnerable
Odontaspis ferox: Small-tooth sand tiger shark- Vulnerable