Lemon shark is a large shark known for its light yellow belly. The shark’s back is yellow-brown to gray. The lemon shark is stocky and blunt-nosed, with two dorsal (back) fins of similar size. It reaches nearly 10 feet (3 meters) long and weighs up to 400 pounds (180 kilograms).
The lemon shark lives in mild to tropical waters along coastlines. It is typically found in shallow waters over sandy or muddy seabeds. It may swim into bays, river mouths, and mangrove forests, dense growths of mangrove trees along tropical coasts. The shark also swims along coral reefs. It lives along much of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North and South America. It is most common in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Smaller numbers live along parts of the west coast of Africa. The shark occasionally enters the open ocean.
The lemon shark is a predator (hunting animal) that feeds mainly on bony fish. It also eats crabs, lobsters, octopuses, seabirds, sharks, shrimp, and stingrays. Lemon sharks rarely bite people.
Females give birth to live young in shallow nurseries. They produce 4 to 18 pups. Pregnancy lasts 10 to 12 months. Pups remain in the nurseries for several years.
A close relative of the lemon shark is called the sicklefin lemon shark or sharptooth lemon shark. It closely resembles the lemon shark. It is native to coastal waters of the Indian Ocean. It also lives along the coasts of Australia and in the waters off Southeast Asia.
Both kinds of lemon sharks have declined in numbers. They are threatened mainly by overfishing. The sharks are protected by law in some areas.
