MARINE ANIMALS THAT BITE 17 



is slaty-brown, dull, slate-blue, leaden gray, or almost black above, 

 shading more or less abruptly to dirty white on the lower surface 

 with a black spot on the axil of the pectoral ; the tips of the pectorals 

 also black, usually with some adjacent black spots; the dorsals and 

 caudal dark along rear edges. Large specimens may be dun-colored 

 above or even leaden-white. The white shark may attain a length 

 of 30 ft. or more. Distribution is oceanic, widespread in tropical, 

 subtropical and warm temperate belts of all oceans. More numerous 

 in Australian waters, but nowhere is it abundant. 



Sharp-nosed Mackerel or Mako Shark, Isurns oxyrinchus Rafin- 

 esque. (Fig. 2, Next to Top). This shark has a reputation of 

 being savage, dangerous, and has been known to attack boats. The 

 mako is a fast swimmer, may leap out of the water, and is classed 

 as a game fish. The mako is distinguished by its teeth, slender 

 form, and by the relative position of the second dorsal and anal fins. 

 Its color is deep blue-gray, cobalt, or ultramarine blue above, and 

 snow-white below. Attains a length of 13 ft. This is an oceanic 

 species of tropical and warm-temperate Atlantic. It is replaced in 

 the Pacific by /. glaucus, and in India by /. guntheri. 



Mackerel or Porbeagle Shark, Lam?m nasus (Bonnaterre). (Fig. 

 2, Next to Bottom). This is said to be an active and strong-swim- 

 ming species when in pursuit of prey, but otherwise considered to 

 be rather sluggish. The distinctive characters of this species are 

 the teeth and relative positions of the second dorsal and anal fins. 

 The color is dark bluish-gray above, changing abruptly on the lower 

 sides to white. The pectorals are dusky on the outer half or third. 

 Anal fin white or slightly dusky. Said to attain a length of 12 ft. 

 This species inhabits continental waters of the northern North 

 Atlantic, ranging from the Mediterranean and northwestern Africa 

 to the North Sea, Scotland, Orkneys, and southern Scandinavia, on 

 the eastern side; less common north to Iceland, northern Norway 

 and the Murman Coast ; from the Newfoundland Banks and Gulf of 

 St. Lawrence in the west, south to South Carolina. Represented by 

 closely allied forms in the North Pacific, Alaska, Kamchatka, 

 Japan, Australia and New Zealand. 



Requiem Shark Family (Carcharhinidae) 



Tiger Shark, Galeocerdo cuvieri (Lesueur). (Fig. 3, Top). 

 Unless in pursuit of food, the tiger shark is usually sluggish, but 

 under the proper stimulation can be a vigorous and powerful swim- 

 mer. A number of human attacks have been credited to this species. 



