The Sand Shark

The Sand Shark (Carcharias taurus) -- likes to spend time in the bays and the larger ones are usually caught in the upper parts of our bays.

Most sand sharks are found from Cape Cod south, but they aren't found in great numbers below the Delaware Bay.

The sand shark's mouthful of teeth can send chills through you. Still, this is not a man-eater. Instead, it is somewhat sluggish and lives on the bottom of the sea or close to it.

The sand shark appears in our waters mostly in summer when the surface temperature reaches 60 to 70 degrees.

Most weigh less than 150 pounds but some have been caught weighing more than 200 pounds. The average length is 4 to 6 feet with the largest growing to 10 feet or more.

Sharks Common to the Delaware-Maryland Coast

• The Common Hammerhead Shark
  
• The Atlantic Mako Shark
  
• The Sand Shark
  
• The Smooth Dogfish Shark
  
• The Spiny Dogfish Shark
  
• The Sandbar Shark

Number of attacks in Delaware from the International Shark Attack File

* Much of the information on this page courtesy of the University of Delaware Sea Grant Marine Advisory Service.

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