Habitat
Inshore species. Warm, shallow waters.
Geographical spread
From New Jersey south to northern Brazil, ranging across the
Caribbean where it is particularly numerous on the Bahamas banks.
Current population
Absolutely unknown.
Status
Will be under revue by the IUCN- they have not had time to classify it yet.
Size
Females range 2.85-3.40m in length and are larger than males.
Average life expectancy
27 years.
Normal diet
Fish, including stingrays, guitar fish and cow fish, sea-birds, crustaceans and
octopuses.
Normal lifestyle
Often occur in loose schools of 20 individuals, which, may be segregated by
sex. They mate in spring and early summer. Females give birth to between 5 and 17 young in
shallow-water grass flats or lagoons. The young remain in a small home area of 6-8sqkm.
Sexual maturity is reached after 7 years. Mature individuals move out into deep offshore waters
and may undertake long migrations. In the open sea they are often found between depths of
36 and 400m. Hunting for food generally takes place at night. Lemon sharks can rest on the
seabed, passively pumping water over their gills.
Reasons for decline
Lemon sharks yield a heavy hide that makes excellent leather, they have
large fins which are used in soup, good quality meat and liver oil with high levels of vitamin A.
Lemon sharks are caught on long-lines, hand-lines, gill-nets and beach-seines.
The trade in meat (either salted or fresh) has been declining for some time.
Current threats
File last modified Thursday, October 3, 1996