Sand tiger shark
Carcharias taurus Rafinesque, 1810
CRCritically Endangeredsharks and rays
The sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus) is a fish in the sharks and rays subgroup, classified in the family Odontaspididae within the order Lamniformes. It is also called the raggie, grey nurse, nuss shark, sand shark or grey shark, and its scientific name was authored by Rafinesque, 1810.
Quick facts about the sand tiger shark
The IUCN Red List assesses the sand tiger shark globally as Critically Endangered, a threatened category. Its lifespan is reported as up to 12 years.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- 2.2 m – 2.5 msrc for Length
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 12 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Critically Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the sand tiger shark?
Photos of the sand tiger shark
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the sand tiger shark live?
Not recorded
What is the sand tiger shark?
The sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus), also commonly known as the spotted ragged-tooth shark in South Africa, grey nurse shark in Australia, or blue-nurse sand tiger in India, is a species of shark that inhabits subtropical and temperate waters worldwide. It inhabits the continental shelf, from sandy shorelines (hence the name sand tiger shark) and submerged reefs to a depth of around 191 m (627 ft). They dwell in the waters of East Asia, Australia, Western and Southern Africa, the Red sea, and the east coasts of North and South America. The sand tiger shark also inhabited the Mediterranean; however, it was last seen there in 2003 and is presumed extirpated. Despite its common names, it is not closely related to either the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) or the nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum).
Despite its fearsome appearance and strong swimming ability, it is a relatively placid and slow-moving shark with no confirmed human fatalities. This species has a sharp, pointy head, and a bulky body. The sand tiger's length can reach 3.2 m (10.5 ft) but is normally 2.2–2.5 m in length. They are grey with reddish-brown spots on their backs. Shivers (groups) have been observed to hunt large schools of fish. Their diet consists of bony fish, crustaceans, squid, skates and other sharks. Unlike other sharks, the sand tiger can gulp air from the surface, allowing it to be suspended in the water column with minimal effort. During pregnancy, the most developed embryo will feed on its siblings, a reproductive strategy known as intrauterine cannibalism i.e. "embryophagy" or, more colorfully, adelphophagy—literally "eating one's brother". The sand tiger is categorized as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. It is the most widely kept large shark in public aquariums owing to its tolerance for captivity.
From the Wikipedia article “Sand tiger shark” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sand_tiger_shark&oldid=1384947213), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the sand tiger shark endangered?
The sand tiger shark is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Critically Endangered species. What the categories mean.
How is the sand tiger shark classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classElasmobranchii
- orderLamniformes
- familyOdontaspididae
- genusCarcharias
- SpeciesCarcharias taurus Rafinesque, 1810
Synonyms Carcharhinus taurus, Carcharias arenarias, Carcharias arenarius, Carcharias griseus, Carcharias littoralis, Carcharias owstoni, Carcharias platensis, Charcharias taurus, Eugmophodus taurus, Eugomphodus griseus, Eugomphodus taurus, Eugomphodus taurus, Lamna ecarinata, Odontaspis americanus, Odontaspis arenarius, Odontaspis cinerea, Odontaspis platensis, Odontaspis taurus, Odontaspis taurus, Squalus americanus, Squalus littoralis, Squalus lixa, Squalus macrodus
Other names and names in other languages (99)
- Blue nurse sharkEnglish
- Brown sharkEnglish
- Gray nurse sharkEnglish
- Grey nurseEnglish
- Grey nurse sharkEnglish
- Grey nurse sharkEnglish
- Grey sharkEnglish
- Nuss sharkEnglish
- Owston’s sand sharkEnglish
- Ragged-tooth sharkEnglish
- Raggedtooth sharkEnglish
- RaggieEnglish
- Sand sharkEnglish
- Sand tigerEnglish
- Sandtiger sharkEnglish
- Shovel-nosed sharkEnglish
- Shovelnose sharkEnglish
- Spotted ragged-tooth sharkEnglish
- Spotted ragged-tooth sharkEnglish
- Spotted raggedtooth sharkEnglish
- Spotted raggedtooth sharkEnglish
- Tiger sharkEnglish
- Yellow bellyEnglish
- Yellow sharkEnglish
- VaalpenshaaiAfrikaans
- SkeurtandhaaiAfrikaans
- spikkel-skeurtandhaaiAfrikaans
- KalbArabic
- قرش الرمل الببريArabic
- قرش نمر الرمليArabic
- tiburón güeAsturian
- Almindelig sandtigerhajDanish
- SandhaiGerman
- Grauer SandhaiGerman
- SandtigerGerman
- SandtigerhaiGerman
- SchnauzenhaiGerman
- ΤαυροκαρχαρίαςGreek
- ΣκυλόψαροGreek
- sardaSpanish
- EscalandrúnSpanish
- pez toroSpanish
- tiburónSpanish
- tiburón arenero tigreSpanish
- tiburón de leznasSpanish
- Tiburón sardaSpanish
- Tiburón tigre areneroSpanish
- tiburón toroSpanish
- tigre areneroSpanish
- toro bacotaSpanish
- hietahaiFinnish
- EhouaFon
- lamioFrench
- odontaspide taureauFrench
- RequinFrench
- requin sable tacheteFrench
- requin taureauFrench
- requin-taureauFrench
- verdounFrench
- כריש-שן שוריHebrew
- dundaneeHindi
- toro bambacoHindi
- homoki tigriscápaHungarian
- Bildiniibd
- pisci caniItalian
- carcharia tauroItalian
- odontaspe tauroItalian
- Squalo toroItalian
- triglochide tauroItalian
- シロワニJapanese
- shirowaniJapanese
- umiwaniJapanese
- Kelb il-baharMaltese
- zandtijgerhaaiDutch
- tawrosz piaskowyPolish
- Tubarão-mangonaPortuguese
- Tubarão-mangona-do-Indo-PacíficoPortuguese
- Tubarão-touroPortuguese
- Серая песчаная акулаRussian
- Атлантическая песчаная акулаRussian
- Европейская песчаная акулаRussian
- Обыкновенная песчаная акулаRussian
- peshkaqen i egërAlbanian
- ปลาฉลามเสือทรายThai
- Kum KöpekTurkish
- Kaplan Kum Köpek BalığıTurkish
- kum kaplaniTurkish
- kum kaplanıTurkish
- pamuk baligiTurkish
- pamuk balığıTurkish
- Акула піщана звичайнаUkrainian
- Звичайна піщана акулаUkrainian
- ca nham nhanVietnamese
- ca nham nhonVietnamese
- guruwinxdk
- 大沙Chinese
- 戟齒砂鮫Chinese
- 沙虎鯊Chinese
- 錐齒鯊Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the sand tiger shark
Other species in the same genus Carcharias.
CompareSand tiger shark vs Indian sand tigerSand tiger shark vs Carcharias crassidensSand tiger shark vs Carcharias domingueiSand tiger shark vs Carcharias yarrellii
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the sand tiger shark?
The sand tiger shark is a fish in the sharks and rays subgroup. It belongs to the class Elasmobranchii, order Lamniformes and family Odontaspididae.
What is the scientific name of the sand tiger shark?
The scientific name of the sand tiger shark is Carcharias taurus, in the genus Carcharias.
Who named the sand tiger shark and when?
The scientific name Carcharias taurus was authored by Rafinesque, 1810.
Is the sand tiger shark endangered?
Yes. The IUCN Red List assesses the sand tiger shark globally as Critically Endangered (CR), a threatened category.
How long does the sand tiger shark live?
The sand tiger shark's lifespan is reported as up to 12 years.
What other names does the sand tiger shark have?
The sand tiger shark is also called the raggie, grey nurse, nuss shark, sand shark and grey shark.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/sand-tiger-shark
“Sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/sand-tiger-shark.
@misc{sand_tiger_shark_2026,
title = {Sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/sand-tiger-shark},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}