It occasionally hunts in shivers (groups), and has even been known to attack full fishing nets. Its staple is small fish, but it eats crustaceans and squid, as well. During the day, the sand shark stays mostly inactive, but at night, it becomes active and resumes hunting activities. This enables it to become buoyant and approach its prey virtually motionless. It is able to gulp air from above the surface and collect the air in its stomach. The sand shark has a unique hunting strategy. They also frequent the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas at depths from 20 to 200 m (66 to 656 ft) and sometimes more. They are often found in warm or temperate waters throughout the world's oceans, except the eastern Pacific. The name sand shark comes from their tendency to migrate towards shoreline habitats, and they are often seen swimming around the ocean floor in the surf zone at times, they come very close to shore. The average lifespan of both sexes is only about 7 years, though they may live longer in captivity. The sand shark can grow up to 3.2 m (10 ft) long, and most adults can weigh around 200 kg (440 lb). Sand sharks have a large second dorsal fin. Their teeth are long, narrow, and very sharp with smooth edges, with one and on occasion two smaller cusplets on either side. Their needle-like teeth are highly adapted for impaling fish, their main prey. The body tends to be brown with dark markings in the upper half. The three species are in two genera.ĭescription The long, narrow and sharp teeth of Odontaspididae (here Odontaspis ferox). ![]() They are found worldwide in temperate and tropical waters. Sand sharks, also known as sand tiger sharks, gray nurse sharks or ragged tooth sharks, are mackerel sharks of the family Odontaspididae. The smalltooth sand tiger has been assessed as a vulnerable species. Vulnerable (VU) species are considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
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