Jardines de la Reina, Cuba - Silky Shark (Carcharhinus falciformis)
March 2010
The Silky Shark is a member of the family of Requiem Sharks (Carcharhinidae) and home in tropical waters all over the world. It is hunting mainly in open water but might also be found in outer reefs close to drop-offs. The body is slim and the length can exceed 3 m. The snout is round and longer than that of the related Caribbean Reef Shark. The first dorsal fin is rounded, which is one of the features distinguishing it from other sharks of the same family. The sharks were fed directly from the boat, and large numbers (up to 20) of sharks with sizes ranging from 1 to 3 m aggregated directly after the arrival of the boat. The group of obviously grown-out sharks was always accompanied by a number of younger and much smaller sharks.
Pictures were taken at Pipin (30 m), Montana Rusa (29 m), El Farallon (34 m), and Vicent (46 m) dive sites. Interestingly, only rarely Reef Sharks were seen at these sites, whereas in areas with Reef Sharks no Silky Sharks were observed.
