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| − | {{More footnotes|date=April 2009}}
| + | <noinclude><translate><!--T:1--> |
| − | | + | </noinclude> |
| − | {{Taxobox | + | {{species id |
| − | | name = Lemon shark | status = NT | status_system = IUCN3.1 | + | |common_name=Lemon Shark |
| − | | status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{IUCN2011.1|assessors=Sundström, L.F. |year=2005|id=39380|title=Negaprion brevirostris|downloaded=20 August 2011}}</ref> | + | |latin_name=Negaprion brevirostris |
| − | | trend = unknown
| + | |image=Lemonshark (2).jpg |
| − | | image =Lemonshark.JPG | + | |description= |
| − | | image_width = 200px | + | The lemon shark commonly attains a length of 2.4 to 3.1 meters and a weight of up to 90kg at adulthood. The maximum recorded length and weight is 3.43m and 183.7kg. This stocky, powerful shark is named for the 'citrus glands' located between its two dorsal fins. This gland allows the shark to exude a lemon-esque scent in order to attract its prey. The lemon shark has pale yellow-brown to grey skin, which lacks any distinctive markings. This provides perfect camouflage when swimming over the sandy seafloor in its coastal habitat. It has a flattened head with a short, broad snout, and the second dorsal fin is almost as large as the first. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMN1HcdU9Zg Good video on Lemon and Tiger Sharks] |
| − | | regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| + | |range= |
| − | | phylum = [[Chordata]]
| + | The lemon shark is found mainly along the subtropical and tropical parts of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North and South America, and around Pacific islands. They inhabit mostly tropical waters, stay at moderate depths, and are often accompanied by remoras. |
| − | | classis = [[Chondrichthyes]]
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| − | | subclassis = [[Elasmobranchii]]
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| − | | ordo = [[Carcharhiniformes]]
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| − | | familia = [[Carcharhinidae]]
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| − | | genus = ''[[Negaprion]]''
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| − | | species = '''''N. brevirostris'''''
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| − | | binomial = ''Negaprion brevirostris''
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| − | | binomial_authority = ([[Felipe Poey|Poey]], 1868)
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| − | | range_map = Negaprion brevirostris distmap.png | |
| − | | range_map_width = 240 px
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| − | | range_map_caption = Range of the lemon shark
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| − | | synonyms = ''Carcharias fronto'' <small>Jordan & Gilbert, 1882</small><br />
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| − | ''Hypoprion brevirostris'' <small>Poey, 1868</small>
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| | }} | | }} |
| − | The '''lemon shark''', ''Negaprion brevirostris'', is a [[shark]] in the family [[Carcharhinidae]], can grow to {{convert|10|ft|m}} long.<ref>[http://www.sharksurvivor.com/sharks/lemonshark.htm Lemon Shark] - SharkSurvivor.com</ref> It is known as the lemon shark because of its unique yellow coloration.
| + | <noinclude></translate></noinclude> |
| − | | |
| − | ==Description==
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| − | The lemon shark commonly attains a length of {{convert|2.4|to|3.1|m|ft|abbr=on}} and a weight of up to {{convert|90|kg|lb|abbr=on}} at adulthood, although sexual maturity is attained at {{convert|2.24|m|ft|abbr=on}} in males and {{convert|2.4|m|ft|abbr=on}} in females.<ref>[http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/Lemonshark/Lemonshark.html]</ref> The maximum recorded length and weight is {{convert|3.43|m|ft|abbr=on}} and {{convert|183.7|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref>[http://fishbase.sinica.edu.tw/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=897 Negaprion brevirostris, Lemon shark] - FishBase</ref> This stocky, powerful shark is named for its pale yellow-brown to grey skin, which lacks any distinctive markings. This provides perfect camouflage when swimming over the sandy seafloor in its coastal habitat.<ref>3.Carwardine, M. and Watterson, K. (2002) The Shark Watcher’s Handbook. BBC Worldwide Ltd, London.</ref> It has a flattened head with a short, broad snout, and the second dorsal fin is almost as large as the first.<ref>2.Compagno, L.J.V. (1984) FAO Species Catalogue. Vol 4: Sharks of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 2: Carcharhiniformes. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, Rome. It can vary in color from a sandy yellow to a brownish yellow, depending on location. It also has poor eyesight but amazing senses to help in hunting.
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| − | </ref>
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| − | | |
| − | ==Distribution and habitat==
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| − | The lemon shark is found mainly along the [[subtropical]] and [[tropical]] parts of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North and South America, and around [[Pacific islands]]. The longest lemon shark recorded was {{convert|13|ft|m|abbr=on}} long, but they are usually {{convert|8|-|10|ft|m|abbr=on}}. They inhabit mostly tropical waters, stay at moderate depths, and are often accompanied by [[remora]]s.
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| − | ==Reproduction==
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| − | Lemon sharks are [[viviparous]], females giving birth to between four and 17 young every other year in warm and shallow lagoons. The young have to fend for themselves from birth, and remain in shallow water near [[mangrove]]s until they grow larger. With increasing size, they venture further away from their birthplaces. At maturity, at a size of 1.5–2 m and an age of 12–15 years, they leave shallow water and move into deeper waters offshore. However, little is known of this life stage.
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| − | Recent work in genetics by Kevin Feldheim and [[Samuel H. Gruber|Samuel Gruber]] may suggest adult sharks travel hundreds of kilometers to mate. Another possibility is that populations far apart may have been separated in recent times. Further research is needed for an understanding of the lemon shark's breeding behavior and ecology.
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| − | ==Importance to humans==
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| − | [[File:Negaprion brevirostris turks caicos.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Lemon shark in [[Turks and Caicos Islands]]]]
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| − | Lemon sharks are a popular choice for study by scientists, as they survive well in captivity, unlike many other species, such as the [[great white shark|great white]], which die in captivity because of food refusal. The species is the best known of all sharks in terms of behavior and [[ecology]], mainly because of the work of Samuel Gruber at the [[University of Miami]], who has been studying the lemon shark both in the field and in the laboratory since 1967. The population around the [[Bimini Islands]] in the western Bahamas, where Gruber's Bimini Biological Field Station is situated, is probably the best known of all shark populations. As of 2007, this population is experiencing a severe decline and may disappear altogether as a result of destruction of the mangroves for construction of a golf resort. Of the 22 known lemon shark attacks since 1580, none has resulted in death.
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| − | ==Electroreceptors==
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| − | All sharks have [[electroreceptor]]s concentrated in their heads, called the [[ampullae of Lorenzini]]. These receptors detect electrical pulses emitted by potential prey. Lemon sharks are bottom dwellers. They have very poor eyesight and cannot see well to find their food, but are equipped with extremely sensitive and accurate electroreceptors in the nose. They also depend on their citrus glands to attract prey.
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| − | ==See also==
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| − | {{Portal|Sharks}}
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| − | * [[List of sharks]]
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| − | ==References==
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| − | {{ARKive attribute}}
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| − | <references />
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| − | * {{ITIS |id=160433 |taxon=Negaprion brevirostris |accessdate=23 January 2006}}
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| − | * {{FishBase_species|genus=Negaprion|species=brevirostris|year=2005|month=March}}
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| − | * ''Washington Post'', 2005, Aug. 22nd: "Scientists Fear Oceans on the Cusp Of a Wave of Marine Extinctions"
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| − | ==External links==
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| − | {{Wikispecies|Negaprion brevirostris}}
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| − | {{commons|Negaprion brevirostris|Lemon shark}}
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| − | *{{ARKive|lemon-shark|negaprion-brevirostris}}
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| − | * [http://www.sharkdiving.us/lemonshark.html Lemon shark facts and pictures]
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| − | {{Selachimorpha|Ca.}}
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| − | {{DEFAULTSORT:Lemon Shark}}
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| − | [[Category:Viviparous fish]]
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| − | [[Category:Carcharhinidae]]
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| − | {{Link GA|de}}
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