Shark

Lemon shark

Negaprion brevirostris

A stocky yellow-brown requiem shark named for the colour that camouflages it over sand. Lemon sharks are among the most reliable sharks at Tiger Beach, often 10–15 on a single dive, and are notably tolerant of divers. They hunt largely at night using electroreceptors, and juveniles form social groups. The IUCN lists them as Vulnerable after an estimated 50–79% decline over 50 years from fishing for meat, fins and skin; Bahamian waters are one of the few places the population appears stable.

Max size

3.4m (11ft)

Habitat

Shallow subtropical coastal waters of the western Atlantic from New Jersey to southern Brazil, plus the eastern Pacific and west Africa. Uses mangroves, sand flats, coral reefs and enclosed bays, and returns to specific nursery sites to breed. Recorded to about 90m but usually much shallower.