Shark ID
Submitted by Buz on Wed, 2013-06-19 14:17
Mate caught this Shark up north in the Ord River(i think) while fishing for Barra. Was released after this pic.
He said it was a Bull Shark, but the Pectoral(side) fins have me thinking it might be one of those River Whalers unique to only a few Rivers in Northern Australia.
Hoping Glenn Moore from WA Museum might be able to shed some light :)
Image Upload:
Glenn Moore
Posts: 228
Date Joined: 13/02/12
Shark
You guys like to make it tough! It is very difficult to offer much certainty based on that photo. It is even more difficult because it is a youngster, probably very very young - the bait could just have been her first meal! However, when I look at the shape of two dorsal fins and the fact that the second is (much) more than half the height of the first, it says to me Northern River Shark Glyphis garricki. The head is hard to see properly, but it seems that the eye is too small and the snout too long for a Bull. Similar characters suggest it is not a Creek Whaler Carcharinus fitzroyensis either. So, with a very healthy dose of caution, based on the photo I'll be bold enough to say the most likely species is probably the Northern River Shark, maybe, possibly ;-)
Glenn Moore
Curator of Fishes
Western Australian Museum
twitter @WestOzFish
carnarvonite
Posts: 8669
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Northern rivers shark
Looking at a few other pics I agree with Glenn, the second dorsal is too big for a bull and is the same size as the anal fin on a northern rivers shark.
Buz
Posts: 1555
Date Joined: 28/08/07
Thanks Glenn and
Thanks Glenn and Carnarvonite. :)
Will let my friend know what 'it most likely is'.
trymyluck
Posts: 908
Date Joined: 06/05/12
I suspect thats a big croc
I suspect thats a big croc on the bank on the opposite side ...gotta love the north !
Spinnerak
Posts: 521
Date Joined: 03/04/10
A serious effort to catch a
A serious effort to catch a Glyphus shark if that's what it is. I was told a couple of years back that less people had caught a Glyphus than walked on the moon
(or atleast correctly identified their catch as a Glyphus), so count yourself a lucky man!
Subway cookie is the best burley
carnarvonite
Posts: 8669
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Catch question
If you ask someone how many species of sharks are protected in WA you will 19 times out of 20 get 3 for an answer, grey nurse, whale shark and white pointer.
I have to admit years back of doing research to find out about the northern rivers shark because like most I'd never heard of it.
doubleheader_king
Posts: 203
Date Joined: 08/06/13
Glyphus
If that is a Glyphos you are very lucky. it could be one as it is up north and has a apidose fin is around the same size of the dorsal fin. Jeremy Wade (River Monsters host) spent a very long time trying to catch a Glyphus so Good work. Max