Sand Tiger Shark (Carcharias taurus) — Critically Endangered

Sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus), showing its snaggle-toothed look. — Sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus); in an aquarium.
Image: Rjcastillo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

At a glance

IUCN category: CR · Critically Endangered
Animal group: Fish
Population trend: Decreasing
FaunaHub record reviewed: 2026-06-16
Checked against IUCN: Matches source — IUCN's 2025 global assessment of Carcharias taurus says Critically EndangeredChecked 2026-10-09 against IUCN's Red List export published 2026-07-28 · assessment

Conservation overview

The sand tiger shark is a large coastal shark with a fearsome, snaggle-toothed look but a generally placid nature. It is assessed as Critically Endangered.

It has one of the lowest reproductive rates of any shark.

Range & habitat

Warm coastal waters worldwide (excluding the eastern Pacific).

Major threats

Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.

Overfishing and bycatch
A very low reproductive rate
Past culling

Why it matters

A slow-breeding coastal shark popular in aquariums, the sand tiger shark is a flagship for shark conservation and the dangers of overfishing low-reproduction species.

Gallery

A sand tiger shark swimming. — Sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus).
Image: Amada44, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources

Sources for Sand Tiger Shark

IUCN Red List — look up Sand Tiger Shark (authoritative status)
FishBase

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the sand tiger shark dangerous despite its teeth?

Its protruding teeth look ferocious, but it is generally a slow, placid shark not considered a significant threat to people; its teeth are suited to gripping fish.

Why is the sand tiger shark Critically Endangered?

Published assessments cite overfishing and bycatch, an extremely low reproductive rate (often only a couple of pups per litter), and past culling. See the IUCN Red List.