Carcharhinus limbatus This medium sized, stocky shark is dark grey to brown on top transitioning to white underneath. It has characteristically marked black-tipped fins. Blacktip sharks prefer to hunt small schooling fishes, taking out prey as they move quickly through the school, often breac
Danger to Humans Records from The International Shark Attack File (ISAF) show that
Epinephelus itajara This large, solitary fish will defend its territory when threatened, with aggressive body language and a rumbling sound it makes with its swim bladder. Its large, thick, elongated body can grow to over 8 feet long (and up to 800 pounds), from rounded snout and small eyes, to s
Danger to Humans Very large goliath grouper have been observed to stalk divers and
Epinephelus striatus These large, oblong fish can change both color and gender, and live at the rocky reef bottom of tropical Western Atlantic waters. They are usually a light buff to pink color with striking darker bars and spots, but can change to very light or very dark quickly. There is some
Danger to Humans There have been reports of ciguatera poisoning from human consumption
Ginglymostoma cirratum These bottom dwelling sharks are usually yellowish-tan to dark brown and, as adults, average around 7.5 to 8 feet long and over 200 pounds (Rosa et al. 2006). They are nocturnal, scouting the sea bottom for crustaceans, mollusks and stingrays during the night before returni
Danger to Humans Nurse sharks are not generally aggressive and usually swim away
Friends, beer and . . . butterflies? Is this how we do conservation now? Our scientists have worked hard to identify and study species at risk of extinction for decades, but they know it takes a village to pull them back from the brink. So, they got creative with beer and butterflies. Way bac
of fun talking to guests about the cool Schaus Swallowtail butterfly that was in danger
Hexanchus griseus This large, deepwater shark is an example of significantly more primitive species found only as fossils. It has a broad, flat head, large green eyes, and a small, single dorsal fin far along its back. Average length is 15 to 16 feet long, and it is gray to olive to brown in colo
Danger to Humans This shark has not been reported to attack people without being
Carcharhinus plumbeus This brownish-gray shark has a recognizably large and triangular dorsal fin and somewhat long pectoral fins. It averages 6 feet long and about 110-150 lbs. True to its name, this shark prefers the sandy bottoms of coastal areas, and is known for seasonal migration like many
Danger to Humans Due to its preference for smaller prey and its tendency to avoid
Galeocerdo cuvier Tiger sharks are named for their distinctive color pattern. The body is gray with dark gray vertical bars or spots on the flanks with a pale or white underside. The markings are especially distinctive in juveniles but diminish with age. Tiger sharks are among the largest of
Danger to Humans The tiger shark is a formidable predator and second only to the
History of the United States Endangered Species Act Conservation efforts to save species of plants and animals from extinction began in the early 1900s. A species of plant or animal is considered extinct when there are no living members of that group found alive anywhere on Earth; in other words, a
The ENDANGERED category applies to any species considered to be in danger of becoming
Carcharhinus brevipinna The spinner shark is a slender, gray-bronze shark named for its distinctive aerial „spinning“ behavior at the surface. When feeding, spinner sharks will often swim through schools of bait fish, spinning along their longitudinal axis, snapping at fish as they move through t
Danger to Humans Although the spinner shark is not considered dangerous to humans
