Milk shark: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the milk shark lives – recorded in 10 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Rhizoprionodon acutus
Group	Sharks
Status	Vulnerable (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	10 countries
Continents	Africa, Asia, Oceania
Class	Cartilaginous fish
Order	Carcharhiniformes
Family	Carcharhinidae

Where does the milk shark live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the milk shark in 10 countries and territories across Africa, Asia and Oceania. Wikidata gives its range as: New Guinea.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the milk shark endangered?

The milk shark’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Vulnerable” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the milk shark?

The milk shark (Rhizoprionodon acutus) is a cartilaginous fish in the order Carcharhiniformes and the family Carcharhinidae, genus Rhizoprionodon. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the milk shark

The milk shark (Rhizoprionodon acutus) is a species of requiem shark, and part of the family Carcharhinidae, whose common name comes from an old Indian belief that consumption of its meat promotes lactation. The largest and most widely distributed member of its genus, the milk shark typically measures 1.1 m (3.6 ft) long, and can be found in coastal tropical waters throughout the eastern Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific regions. Occurring from the surface to a depth of 200 m (660 ft), this species is common near beaches and in estuaries, and has been recorded swimming up rivers in Cambodia. Juveniles are known to inhabit tidal pools and seagrass meadows. The milk shark has a slender body with a long, pointed snout and large eyes, and is a nondescript gray above and white below. This shark can be distinguished from similar species in its range by the long furrows at the corners of its mouth, and seven to 15 enlarged pores just above them.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Milk shark (revision 1366793802), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q1587255 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).