Atlantic Ocean Pacific OceanMouth Open(^1) Valve Closed Water
Mouth Closed
(^2) Valve Open
TOURISM
The Caribbean reef shark is the species
that most people are likely to encounter
when diving in the Caribbean and it has
been calculated that 93.7 percent of the
total revenue generated in the Bahamas
is from diving with these sharks, making
them the most economically important
species in the entire region
HABITAT
The most common shark on or near
coral reefs in the Caribbean, this species
prefers shallow areas and is often found
close to drop-offs on the outer edges of
coral reefs. It is a bottom-dwelling species
of the continental and insular shelves but
does not often venture below depths of
around 30 metres
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION
This shark is found throughout the
tropical western Atlantic and Caribbean,
from North Carolina to Brazil. They inhabit
reefs in southern Florida, though surveys
using longline gear off the east coast of
Florida reveal they are extremely rare
north of the Florida Keys
Area of distribution
SNOUT, JAWS AND TEETH
The snout is moderately short, broad, and rounded,
without prominent flaps of skin beside the nostrils. There
are 11–13 rows of teeth in both the upper and lower jaw,
and each tooth has narrow cusps with strongly serrated
edges and broad bases
BUCCAL PUMPING
Caribbean reef sharks don’t need to constantly swim to breathe.
They can sometimes be seen resting in caves or on the ocean
floor where they use the buccal (or cheek) muscles in their jaws
to pump water through their mouths and over their gills