Requiem sharks
Spinner shark
Carcharhinus brevipinna
A fast coastal shark famous for spinning leaps during energetic feeding runs through schools of fish.
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Every figure uses the same scale. The shark image is shown at the species’ published maximum length; individual animals vary.
Warm nearshore water and offshore shelf habitat.
Warm-temperate and tropical coastal waters worldwide, including the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
Nearshore and continental shelf waters
Small schooling fish, rays, squid, cuttlefish, and octopus.
Long pointed snout and dark fin tips; adults usually have a black-tipped anal fin, unlike blacktips.
Live-bearing, with pups born in coastal nursery areas.
Species facts
Did you know?
It can burst vertically through a school of fish and spin above the surface.
Spinner sharks and blacktips are frequently confused.