# Silky shark (*Carcharhinus falciformis*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/silky-shark  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) is a fish in the sharks and rays subgroup, belonging to the family Carcharhinidae. It is classified in the class Elasmobranchii, order Carcharhiniformes and genus Carcharhinus, and was named by (Müller & Henle, 1839). The silky shark is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List in a global assessment, which is an IUCN threatened category. Other English names for the species are Silk shark, Silky whaler and Gray reef shark.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | up to 2.65 m |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 22 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 365 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 4.75 – 7 |
| Reproduction | Live birth |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Elasmobranchii
- order: Carcharhiniformes
- family: Carcharhinidae
- genus: Carcharhinus
- species: *Carcharhinus falciformis* (Müller & Henle, 1839)

Synonyms: *Aprionodon sitankaiensis*, *Carcharhinus atrodorsus*, *Carcharhinus falciformes*, *Carcharhinus falciformes*, *Carcharhinus floridanus*, *Carcharhinus floridianus*, *Carcharhinus menisorrah*, *Carcharhinus menisorrah*, *Carcharhinus menissorrah*, *Carcharias falciformis*, *Carcharias falciformis*, *Carcharias falcipinnis*, *Carcharias menisorrah*, *Carcharias menisorrah*, *Carcharias menisorrah*, *Carcharias pharaonis*, *Carcharins menisorrah*, *Carcharins menisorrah*, *Carcharinus falciformis*, *Carcharius falcipinnis*, *Carcharius menisorrah*, *Carcharius menisorrah*, *Charcharhinus menisorrah*, *Eulamia malpeloensis*, *Eulamia menisorrah*, *Eulamia menisorrah*, *Gymnorhinus pharaonis*, *Prionodon tiburo*, *Squalus tiburo*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the silky shark?

The silky shark is a fish in the sharks and rays subgroup. It belongs to the family Carcharhinidae and the order Carcharhiniformes.

### What is the scientific name of the silky shark?

The scientific name of the silky shark is Carcharhinus falciformis, in the genus Carcharhinus.

### Is the silky shark endangered?

The silky shark is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List in a global assessment. Vulnerable is an IUCN threatened category.

### Who named the silky shark?

The silky shark was named by (Müller & Henle, 1839).

### What are other names for the silky shark?

Other English names for the silky shark are Silk shark, Silky whaler and Gray reef shark.

### What class does the silky shark belong to?

The silky shark belongs to the class Elasmobranchii, within the phylum Chordata and kingdom Animalia.

## Sources

- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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).
- [Sharkipedia: a curated open access database of shark and ray life history traits](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6656525), CC BY 4.0, 1.0-2022-06-17. Mull, C.G., Pacoureau, N., Pardo, S.A. et al. (2022) Sharkipedia: a curated open access database of shark and ray life history traits and abundance time-series. Scientific Data 9: 559. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01655-1. Data: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6656525
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/silky-shark