Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Borneo shark (Carcharhinus borneensis), recorded as Critically Endangered
Borneo shark (Carcharhinus borneensis). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

Borneo shark

Carcharhinus borneensis

Borneo shark is a shark or ray in the family Carcharhinidae (order Carcharhiniformes) — Carcharhinus borneensis, recorded as Critically Endangered.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Carcharhinus borneensis
Taxonomy
Elasmobranchii · Carcharhiniformes · Carcharhinidae · Carcharhinus

Appearance

The Borneo shark is slim-bodied, with a long, pointed snout and oblique, slit-like nostrils preceded by narrow, nipple-shaped flaps of skin. The five pairs of gill slits are short. The second dorsal fin is small and low, and originates over the middle of the anal fin base.

A small, gray shark reaching 65 cm (26 in) in length, this species is the only member of its genus with a row of enlarged pores above the corners of its mouth.

Range and habitat

Thus, its range may now be restricted to shallow, inshore waters in northwestern Borneo. Of the five earlier specimens, four came from Borneo and one from Zhoushan Island in China, hinting at a wider historical distribution. Extremely rare, it is known only from inshore waters around Mukah in northwestern Borneo, though it may once have been more widely distributed.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Breeding

Sharks and rays grow slowly and have few young. A fishery that treats them as bycatch can empty a coastal form.

In crisis

The International Union for Conservation of Nature last assessed this species as Critically Endangered. While an extant population has since been found, the Borneo shark continues to merit conservation concern given its highly limited range within heavily fished waters.

Borneo shark is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Borneo shark, Wikidata item Q893969. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Same genus

Photograph of Oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Oceanic whitetip shark

Carcharhinus longimanus
Photograph of Pacific smalltail shark (Carcharhinus cerdale), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Pacific smalltail shark

Carcharhinus cerdale
Photograph of Pondicherry shark (Carcharhinus hemiodon), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Pondicherry shark

Carcharhinus hemiodon
Photograph of Smalltail shark (Carcharhinus porosus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Smalltail shark

Carcharhinus porosus

Quick answers

What is Borneo shark?
Borneo shark is a shark or ray in the family Carcharhinidae (order Carcharhiniformes) — Carcharhinus borneensis.
What is the conservation status of Borneo shark?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Carcharhinus borneensis. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Borneo shark live?
While an extant population has since been found, the Borneo shark continues to merit conservation concern given its highly limited range within heavily fished waters.
Why is Borneo shark in crisis?
The International Union for Conservation of Nature last assessed this species as Critically Endangered.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Carcharhinus borneensis?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Borneo shark a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.