Fossil teeth suggest that a majority of extant species in
Carcharhinus already evolved by the
Early Miocene, and these species start appearing in the fossil record starting from this time. Fossil
Carcharhinus teeth tend to be highly species-specific in morphology, but are highly variable both within and among species, and even within the jaw, and thus require careful study to assign to their respective species.
Extant The following species are placed in this genus: T
Type species In addition, ''
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes'' recognizes two species of uncertain validity: •
Carcharhinus acarenatus Moreno & Hoyos, 1983 - Native to the western
Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic, around the coast of the
Iberian Peninsula south to
Morocco. Often treated as synonymous with the
copper shark. •
Carcharhinus japonicus Temminck & Schlegel, 1850 - Native to the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Often treated as synonymous with the
sandbar shark.
Fossil == See also ==