New York, September 24, 1916. No. 35 



-*~S" 



OPElft 



Mr 



Published to advance the Science of cold-blooded vertebrates 



OCCURRENCE OF GROUND SHARKS, 



CARCHARHINUS, IN GREAT 



SOUTH RAY. 



For the past fifteen years I have harpooned 

 sharks in Great South Bay, Long Island, New York, 

 and during that period there have been seen from my 

 boat probably not less than twenty-five hundred be- 

 tween Lindenhurst and Great River on the north 

 side of the Bay and Cedar Island and Cherry Grove 

 on the south side. I think it is conservative to say 

 that between three hundred and fifty and four hun- 

 dred have been killed. The greatest number seen 

 in any one year of which I have a record was 277 

 in 1916 and the greatest number killed was 60 in 

 1906. Not counting smaller Sand Sharks (Carchar- 

 ias taurus) 1 those killed have been of two species, 

 namely the Brown Shark (Carcharhinus milberti) 1 

 and the Dusky Shark {Carcharhinus obscurus) 1 with 

 the single exception of a male Carcharhinus limbatus* 

 taken July 14th, 1910. This fish, the longest I have 

 ever secured, measured 9 ft. 2 in. and weighed 300 

 lbs. A single small Hammerhead (Sphyrna zyga- 

 ena) 1 about 2% ft. long was seen but not taken. 



'Brooklyn Museum Science Bulletin, Vol 3, No. 1. 



^Identified by J. T. Nichols after an examination of the jaws. 



