Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Whitenose shark (Nasolamia velox), recorded as Endangered
Whitenose shark (Nasolamia velox). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Endangered

Whitenose shark

Nasolamia velox

Whitenose shark is a shark or ray in the family Carcharhinidae (order Carcharhiniformes) — Nasolamia velox, recorded as Endangered.

Status
Endangered
Scientific name
Nasolamia velox
Taxonomy
Elasmobranchii · Carcharhiniformes · Carcharhinidae · Nasolamia

Appearance

The whitenose shark is a shark of the family Carcharhinidae. The whitenose shark is viviparous, with five young in a litter, and a birth size around 53 cm.

It can grow up to a length of 1.5 m.

Range and habitat

The only member of the genus Nasolamia, it is found in the tropical waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean between latitudes 31° N and 18° S, between depths of 15 to 200 m.

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

Whitenose shark is 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 Whitenose shark, Wikidata item Q496641. 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.

Also in this catalog

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Vaquita

Phocoena sinus
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Javan rhinoceros

Rhinoceros sondaicus
Photograph of Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Sumatran orangutan

Pongo abelii
Photograph of Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Axolotl

Ambystoma mexicanum

Quick answers

What is Whitenose shark?
Whitenose shark is a shark or ray in the family Carcharhinidae (order Carcharhiniformes) — Nasolamia velox.
What is the conservation status of Whitenose shark?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Nasolamia velox. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Whitenose shark live?
The only member of the genus Nasolamia, it is found in the tropical waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean between latitudes 31° N and 18° S, between depths of 15 to 200 m.
Why is Whitenose shark in crisis?
It is Endangered on Wikidata. Read the official Red List assessment for the criteria.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Nasolamia velox?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Whitenose shark a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.