The Top 10 Critically Endangered Sharks and Rays

Can you name them all?

1. Oceanic Whitetip Shark (Carcharhinus longimanus)

• FACT: These sharks are known to scavenge shipwreck survivors and are thought to be responsible for many of the deaths after the sinking of the USS Indianapolis.

• STATUS: They are listed as Critically Endangered globally and Endangered in Europe. Their fins are highly sought in the shark fin soup industry. Females reproduce at 11-13 years old so their population is decreasing and will continue to decrease unless laws are put into place to protect this fierce species.

• HABITAT: They are a pelagic species, meaning that they spend most, if not all, of their time in the open ocean. You can find them all throughout Africa and Madagascar. In the north Atlantic, they can be found from Maine to Portugal and in the south from Uruguay to South Africa (and all the area in between). They can be found in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. All around the Indian Ocean. In the north Pacific, you can find them from China to the southern coast of Japan, all the way across to Baja California and down to Peru, and then back across the Pacific to Northern New Zealand. Lastly, you can also find them in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

• WHERE TO DIVE: The best place to dive with these sharks is The Elphinstone Reef and The Brothers in the Red Sea, Egypt. However, in April and May, they can be found at Red Cat Island in the Bahamas.

2. Scalloped Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna lewini)

• FACT: They are known to migrate in schools that reach hundreds and hundreds of individuals.

• STATUS: Globally they are Critically Endangered. Their numbers are declining largely due to the shark fin trade. Like most sharks, they reproduce at a late age, 10 years for males and 15 years for females, so their population won’t bounce back quickly. They do have large litters of pups but that’s due to a high infant mortality rate.

• HABITAT: Along the entire East Coast of the United States, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, Central America, down the South American Eastern coast up to Uruguay. From the Portugal coast down the African coast up to Angola. They cover all the countries around the Indian Ocean, Indonesia, up to China, and across South Korea and Southern Japan. In the Pacific Ocean, they cover the West, North, and Eastern coasts of Australia. And around Hawaii and French Polynesia.

• WHERE TO DIVE: You can find them in dive spots around the world, such as Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, the Maldives, Egypt, and Mexico. Seeing these sharks aren’t always guaranteed in these spots but divers see scalloped hammerheads in the Galapagos Islands, Malpelo Island off Colombia, and Cocos Islands off Costa Rica, frequently.

3. Shortfin Mako Shark (Isurus oxyrinchus)

• FACT: One of the fastest sharks and most common of the mako sharks. They hunt primarily fast fish like swordfish and tuna.

• STATUS: They are listed globally as Endangered. In the Mediterranean, they are listed as Critically Endangered. Their population is declining largely due to overfishing. They are hunted for their fins, oil, meat, and jaws for shark fin soup, vitamins, leather, consumption (jerky in some US states), and jaws are sold to shops which are then sold to tourists. These sharks are also hunted for sport.

• Fishing tournaments will often allow the catching of makos because they’re fighters on the line like swordfish, marlin, and tuna. They’re acrobatic which puts on a good show. Some tournaments ask for catch and release of certain sizes but scientists haven’t determined yet if fishing these sharks to exhaustion and then releasing them gives them a chance to survive in the water.

• HABITAT: They’re rarely seen near the coast because they are primarily open ocean sharks. So they can be found across a large range of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. They also cover almost the same range as the longfin mako shark. The only difference being that shortfin makos travel further north and south. They cover the mid-Atlantic so you can find them as far north as Nova Scotia on the east coast to Argentina and then across the ocean to the United Kingdom to the entire African continent. They’re also found in the Mediterranean Sea.
  • In the Indian Ocean, they’re found along the entire coast of Madagascar, Africa, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, Iran, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, and the entire Australian continent.
  • In the Pacific Ocean, they’re found around Tazmania, New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, eastern China, Japan, Hawaii, French Polynesia, Vancouver, British Colombia to Chile.

• WHERE TO DIVE: They’re hard to encounter without using bait because they aren’t reef sharks. But in the summer months in San Diego, California, you have a high chance of seeing one. From July to October, you can also see them off the coast in Rhode Island. In Cancun, Mexico, and Los Cabos in Baja, you could encounter one in March. Pico Island is a good spot for them too, but only during/between July and October. In Simon’s Town, South Africa, a charter can take you out to encounter shortfin mako sharks, but only during/between October to July.

4. Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias)

• FACT: When these sharks are young, their teeth start off as dagger-like, and as they age their teeth are replaced by the infamous serrated teeth we see today.

• STATUS: Although in some areas, like California and Massachusetts, the population is recovering due to species protection, globally they are still listed as Vulnerable and in the Mediterranean and Europe, they’re listed as Critically Endangered. Their population is declining despite protections in some parts of the world. They can be caught as bycatch and mislabeled when sold to supermarkets.
  • A large part of their population decline, and the lack of recovery in Australia, is that in some parts of Australia like New South Wales and Queensland, the government has a “shark control” program where they try to reduce the number of shark attacks on their beaches, they target white sharks and kill them. It’s also known as shark culling which is a more accurate term. At these beaches, the government also has “shark nets” installed which is misleading. The shark nets are used for catching sharks and keeping them away from the beach and swimmers. These shark nets have been responsible for killing almost 100,000 whales, dolphins, turtles, etc between the years 1950 and 2015. That’s 1,500 a year or 128 a month or 4 marine animals a day. Some of the nets were replaced by baited drum lines which bait the water to catch sharks, essentially bringing the sharks closer to shore in order to kill them.

• HABITAT: White sharks have a global range. Their primary diet is around the coast (sea lions) so they do stick to the coast. In the Atlantic Ocean, you can find them along the entire east and Gulf coast. You can also find them up north in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland. Further south, they hang around the western coasts of Cuba, the easternmost tip of Brazil, Uruguay, and most of Argentina. Moving across the Atlantic, they can be found around Bermuda, the west coast of France, Spain, Portugal, the entire Mediterranean Sea, and the countries that share a coast.
  • In the Indian Ocean, white sharks are found along most of the east coast of Africa, they reach all the way up to Somalia, all around Madagascar, Sri Lanka, most of Western Africa, and South Africa. They’re also found on the Western Australia and South Australia coasts.
  • In the Pacific, Tasmania, New Zealand, New South Wales, Queensland, Philippines, east coast of China, Japan, North and South Korea, Russia, Fiji, Samoa, Galapagos Islands, and Hawaii. Their range reaches from Samoa to Chile, Peru, and Ecuador. They can be found around Panama, the northwestern coast of Mexico, Baja California, all the way up to British Columbia.

• WHERE TO CAGE DIVE: If you want to guarantee an encounter with one of these sharks, go to Port Lincoln and the Neptune Islands, South Australia; Stewart Island, New Zealand from December-June; Seal Island and Dyer Island, South Africa; and Isla Guadalupe, Mexico.

5. Blue Shark (Prionace glauca)

• FACT: They get their name from their beautiful blue skin. Their skin color also helps them blend into the ocean depths when looking at them from above.
• From 1580 to 2013, there were only 13 reported bites from a blue shark, 4 of which were fatal.

• STATUS: Globally and in Europe, they are listed as Near Threatened, but in the Mediterranean, they are listed as Critically Endangered. Their population is declining due to commercial fishing. They are exploited for their fins, meat, skin, and liver for shark fin soup, consumption, leather, and oil. Like the mako shark, they are also the target of sport fishermen.

• HABITAT: They are open ocean sharks that have a wide range from north to south, east to west. In the Atlantic Ocean, you can find them in the west from Nova Scotia to the east around Norway. They’re found as far south as the Falkland Islands (off the coast of South America, all the way to Africa. They’re found in the entire Indian Ocean and the country’s coasts that border that ocean.
  • In the Pacific, they’re found around Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Up to Shanghai, China, along the east coast of Japan, and all the way up and across the Pacific to Alaska. They cover most of the Pacific Ocean as far north as Alaska to as far south as Chile, South America.

• WHERE TO DIVE: The only way to dive with them is to bait the water since they are hardly seen around reefs. From October-July, they can be encountered via charter in Cape Town, South Africa. From July-October they can be found around Pico Island in the Azores; San Diego, California, and Rhode Island. And in Newquay, Cornwall during the summer months, June-August.

6. Porbeagle Shark (Lamna nasus)

• FACT: They are small sharks, ranging 8ft and they look like a mixture of a great white and a mako shark.

• STATUS: Globally they are listed as Vulnerable and in Europe and the Mediterranean, they are Critically Endangered. Their population is declining due to fishing. The meat is prized and more valuable than other sharks. Most demand comes from Europe, but Japan and the United States are known to import the meat. Shark fins are sold for shark fin soup. They are also harvested for their skin and liver for leather and oil. They can also be used for fishmeal.

• HABITAT: They are primarily found in the northern and southern parts of the Atlantic Ocean. The countries/areas you can find them around/between are North Carolina, United States, all the way up to eastern Greenland over to Iceland, Norway, Germany, France, United Kingdom, the Mediterranean Sea, and Morocco. In the southwest Atlantic, you can find them throughout southern Brazil, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands over to Namibia and South Africa.
  • In the Indian Ocean, they travel from South Africa to the east side of Madagascar, to French Southern and Antarctic Lands, and to Western Australia.
  • In the Pacific Ocean, they travel to/around South Australia, to Tasmania, to New Zealand, to New South Wales, to Queensland, to Samoa, and all the way to Chile.

7. Great Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna mokarran)

• FACT: This shark can get to the size of a great white shark, nearly 20ft long! And its “hammer” (cephalofoil) can reach a length of up to 5ft!

• STATUS: Globally listed as Critically Endangered with a declining population due to overfishing. They are targets for the shark fin trade because of their large fins. Catches of this species often go unreported or reported wrong due to a lack of knowing all 10 species of hammerheads. To an untrained eye, they mostly all look the same.

• HABITAT: These sharks range far off the coast of Massachusetts, down to Uruguay. They’re found all around the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. On the other side of the Atlantic, they’re found around the Mediterranean, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, and all the way down the West side of Africa to Angola.
  • In the Indian Ocean, they’re found along the entire east coast of Africa, around Madagascar, to the Red Sea, and all the way to Myanmar (Burma). And lastly, the Western Australia coast.
  • In the Pacific Ocean, they range from the Gulf of Thailand all the way to Tokyo, Japan. They can also be found around the Philippines, east Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Northern Territory, Queensland, and New South Wales, Australia. Some islands they can be found around are New Caledonia, French Polynesia, and the Galapagos. Finally, they can also be found from Baja California to Peru.

• WHERE TO DIVE: The only place to guarantee an encounter with a great hammerhead is in Bimini, Bahamas during the winter months (Oct-Feb).

8. Smooth Hammerhead Shark

• FACT: They are the second-largest species of hammerhead, ranging around 16ft.

• STATUS: Globally they are listed as Vulnerable, but in the Mediterranean, they are listed as Critically Endangered with a declining population. They are targeted for their meat and fins for consumption, leather, and shark fin soup. It’s hard to distinguish how often they are caught because they’re hard to identify among the other large hammerhead species.

• HABITAT: In the Atlantic Ocean, they range from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick all the way down to Barbados. You can also find them around the eastern tip of Brazil to Argentina. On the other side of the Atlantic, they range from the United Kingdom all the way down to Guinea. They’re found around the Mediterranean. Off the coast of Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Cameroon, Namibia, and South Africa.
  • In the Indian Ocean, Mozambique, the south and eastern sides of Madagascar, Seychelles, Somalia, Yemen, Oman, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and Western Australia.
  • In the Pacific Ocean, they range from Russia to Japan, and to Vietnam. They can be found around the Philippines, South Australia, New South Wales, Tasmania, New Zealand, Fiji, New Caledonia, Tonga, Hawaii, California, and Baja California, the Galapagos, Panama, Ecuador, and Chile.

• WHERE TO DIVE: They can be hard to encounter during dives. You can sometimes see them in Los Cabos, Mexico, and Maui, Hawaii.

9. Reef Manta Ray (Mobula alfredi)

• FACT: The second-largest species of ray, the giant manta ray is the first.

• STATUS: Globally, they are recognized as Vulnerable due to the demand for their gill rakers, which is resulting in the overfishing of this species. Their population is decreasing due to this demand.

• HABITAT: They are generally found around reefs, and near the coast. You can find them along the coast of the countries lining the Indian Ocean. They can also be found in the Mid-Pacific, around various islands, and all the way to Northeast Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

10. Shortfin Devil Ray (Mobula kuhlii)

• FACT: They grow to about 3ft and 66lbs.

• STATUS: Globally, they are viewed as Endangered with a decreasing population. They are often caught as bycatch, but they are also targeted in some fisheries for their gills. They have a low reproductive rate like sharks. They are also sometimes used for Shark Fin Soup and traditional Chinese medicine.

• HABITAT: They can be found in the Indian Ocean along the coasts and reefs. Primarily, Northeastern South Africa, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania, Kenya, Yemen, Oman, Iran, Saudi Arabia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea.

Written and compiled by Carly Walker, A.A. Undergraduate Student, Seminole State College & Shark Angels Intern