Higher Classification: > Kingdom Animalia > Subkingdom Eumetazoa > Phylum Chordata > Subphylum Vertebrata > Infraphylum Gnathostomata > Parvphylum Chondrichthyes > Class Elasmobranchii > Subclass Neoselachii > Infraclass Selachii > Superorder Galeomorphi > Order Lamniformes > Family Odontaspididae > Genus Carcharias

Carcharias taurus Rafinesque, 1810

Rank: Species
Taxon Status: accepted

Relationships towards this taxon

Genus group names

*Carcharias*	Rafinesque, 1810	accepted genus name
*Charcharias*		orthographic variant
*Eugomphodus*	Gill, 1861	synonym

Species group names

*Charcharias taurus*	Rafinesque, 1810	orthographic variant
*Eugomphodus taurus*	(Rafinesque, 1810)	synonym
*Odontaspis taurus*	(Rafinesque, 1810)	synonym

Vernaculars (+) (-)

Afrikaans: spikkel-skeurtandhaai sources: Compagno, L.J.V. (2001). Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Volume 2. Bullhead, mackerel and carpet sharks (Heterodontiformes, Lamniformes and Orectolobiformes). FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes. No. 1, Vol. 2. Rome, FAO. 269p.

Dutch: zandtijgerhaai sources: VLIZ. (2016). Wetenschappelijke en handelsbenamingen voor visserij- en aquacultuurproducten op de Belgische markt. VLIZ Beleidsinformerende Nota's, BIN 2016_001. Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee: Oostende. 28 + Annex. pp.

English: blue nurse shark; brown shark; grey nurse; grey nurse shark; grey shark; Owston’s sand shark; raggedtooth shark; raggie; sand shark; sand tiger; sand tiger shark; sandtiger shark; shovelnose shark; shovel-nosed shark; spotted ragged-tooth shark; tiger shark; yellow belly; yellow shark sources: Compagno, L.J.V. (2001). Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Volume 2. Bullhead, mackerel and carpet sharks (Heterodontiformes, Lamniformes and Orectolobiformes). FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes. No. 1, Vol. 2. Rome, FAO. 269p.;North-West Atlantic Ocean species (NWARMS);Froese, R. & D. Pauly (Editors). (2025). FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. version (06/2024).

French: lamio; odontaspide taureau; requin sable tachete; requin taureau; verdoun sources: Compagno, L.J.V. (2001). Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Volume 2. Bullhead, mackerel and carpet sharks (Heterodontiformes, Lamniformes and Orectolobiformes). FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes. No. 1, Vol. 2. Rome, FAO. 269p.

German: Sandtiger; Sandtigerhai sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Greek: Ταυροκαρχαρίας sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Hindi: dundanee; toro bambaco sources: Compagno, L.J.V. (2001). Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Volume 2. Bullhead, mackerel and carpet sharks (Heterodontiformes, Lamniformes and Orectolobiformes). FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes. No. 1, Vol. 2. Rome, FAO. 269p.

Italian: carcharia tauro; odontaspe tauro; pisci cani; triglochide tauro sources: Compagno, L.J.V. (2001). Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Volume 2. Bullhead, mackerel and carpet sharks (Heterodontiformes, Lamniformes and Orectolobiformes). FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes. No. 1, Vol. 2. Rome, FAO. 269p.

Japanese: shirowani; umiwani; シロワニ sources: Compagno, L.J.V. (2001). Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Volume 2. Bullhead, mackerel and carpet sharks (Heterodontiformes, Lamniformes and Orectolobiformes). FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes. No. 1, Vol. 2. Rome, FAO. 269p.;Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology. (2009 onwards). Biological Information System for Marine Life (BISMaL). Accessed on 2018-11-21.

Polish: tawrosz piaskowy sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Spanish, Castillian: pez toro; sarda; tiburón; tiburón arenero tigre; tiburón de leznas; tiburón toro; toro bacota sources: Compagno, L.J.V. (2001). Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Volume 2. Bullhead, mackerel and carpet sharks (Heterodontiformes, Lamniformes and Orectolobiformes). FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes. No. 1, Vol. 2. Rome, FAO. 269p.;Nelson, J.S.; Crossman, E.J.; Espinosa-Pérez, H.; Findley, L.T.; Gilbert, C.R.; Lea, R.N.; Williams, J.D. (2004). Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada and Mexico Special Publication. American Fisheries Society, 29 American Fisheries Society: Bethesda. ISBN 1-888569-61-1. 386 + CD-Rom pp.;PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Turkish: kum kaplani; kum kaplanı; pamuk baligi; pamuk balığı sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Ukrainian: Акула піщана звичайна; Звичайна піщана акула sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Vietnamese: ca nham nhan; ca nham nhon

Literature

original description	Rafinesque, C. S. (1810). Caratteri di alcuni nuovi generi e nuove specie di animali e piante della sicilia, con varie osservazioni sopra i medisimi. Per le stampe di Sanfilippo: Palermo, Italy. Part 1 involves fishes, pp. [i-iv] 3-69 [70 blank], Part 2 with slightly different title, pp. ia-iva + 71-105 [106 blank]). Pls. 1-20.
basis of record	van der Land, J.; Costello, M.J.; Zavodnik, D.; Santos, R.S.; Porteiro, F.M.; Bailly, N.; Eschmeyer, W.N.; Froese, R. (2001). Pisces, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 357-374
additional source	Compagno, L.J.V. (1984). FAO Species Catalogue No. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 1. Hexanchiformes to Lamniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. (125) Vol 4, Part 1. 246 pp. FAO, Rome.
additional source	McEachran, J. D. (2009). Fishes (Vertebrata: Pisces) of the Gulf of Mexico, Pp. 1223–1316 in: Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Biodiversity. Texas A&M Press, College Station, Texas.
additional source	Collette, B. B., ; Klein-MacPhee, G. (2002). Bigelow and Schroeder's Fishes of the Gulf of Maine. Smithsonian Institution Press. 1-748.
additional source	Froese, R. & D. Pauly (Editors). (2025). FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. version (06/2024).
additional source	Liu, J.Y. [Ruiyu] (ed.). (2008). Checklist of marine biota of China seas. China Science Press. 1267 pp.
ecology source	Looby, A.; Erbe, C.; Bravo, S.; Cox, K.; Davies, H. L.; Di Iorio, L.; Jézéquel, Y.; Juanes, F.; Martin, C. W.; Mooney, T. A.; Radford, C.; Reynolds, L. K.; Rice, A. N.; Riera, A.; Rountree, R.; Spriel, B.; Stanley, J.; Vela, S.; Parsons, M. J. G. (2023). Global inventory of species categorized by known underwater sonifery. Scientific Data. 10(1).

Genbank

External Links

FishBase
FishBase images (Carcharias taurus, by Choromanski, J.M.)

Citation

Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. (2025). FishBase. Carcharias taurus Rafinesque, 1810. Via: Costello, M.J.; Bouchet, P.; Boxshall, G.; Arvantidis, C.; Appeltans, W. (2011) European Register of Marine Species, Accessed through PESI at http://www.eu-nomen.eu/portal/taxon.php?GUID=urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:105843