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Sharks of Onslow County
Spinner Shark

Taxonomy & Biology

Taxonomy

Common Name(s): Spinner shark, blacktipped shark, great blacktip shark, large blacktip shark, long-nose grey shark

Scientific Name: Carcharhinus brevipinna

Classification

  • Kingdom:  Animalia
  • Subkingdom: Bilateria
  • Infrakingdom: Deuterostomia
  • Phylum: Chordata
  • Subphylum: Vertebrata
  • Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
  • Class: Chondrichthyes
  • Subclass: Elasmobranchii
  • Superorder: Euselachii
  • Order: Carcharhiniformes
  • Family: Carcharhinidae
  • Genus: Carcharhinus
  • Species: brevipinna

Biology

Population

The spinner shark is found in the western Atlantic from Cape Cod to southern Brazil. They live in tropical, subtropical and temperate waters that range from inshore to offshore up to 328 feet. They form schools as a highly migratory species from Florida and Louisiana and in the Gulf of Mexico. They will move inshore during the spring and summer for feeding and reproduction. Juveniles will move into lower portions of bays with the tides to avoid areas of low salinity. They are an active and fast swimming shark that will leap and spin out of the water during predation.

The spinner shark is listed as "Vulnerable" globally by the IUCN (IUCN, 2022). It is a common shark, however it is vulnerable due to fishing pressures. Its nursery waters are inshore that can be susceptible to habitat destruction due to coastal area development (Bester, French & Naylor, 2025).

Body Size

Spinner sharks reach an average size of about 6.4 feet, with a maximum total length of 9.1 feet,. Females mature at about 5 feet. Males mature at about 4 feet. In the northwest Atlantic, neonates are born at a total length of 60 to 75 cm. They grow relatively fast compared to other species, at about 2 inches per year.

Spinner sharks have a slender build with a long, pointed snout, small round eyes, and a distinct notch along the trailing edge of its lower jaw (Bester, French & Naylor, 2025). They are gray to bronze on the dorsal surface that fades to white on the underside. The first dorsal fiin is small and semi-falcate that originates above and behind the pectoral fin. The second dorsal fin is larger than the first dorsal fin. Both dorsal fins have a short rear tip. They lack an inter-dorsal ridge. Their pectoral fins are narrow with pointed or rounded tips. Its caudal find is slender with a narrow rounded tip.

Spinner sharks are often confused with blacktip sharks, however adults are easily distinguishable. The anal fin of the adult spinner shark is black-tipped, while blacktip sharks do not have any markings on their anal fin. Juvenile spinner sharks lack any markings on their anal fins. To distinguish juvenile spinner sharks from blacktip sharks, examination of first dorsal fin is used as a guide. The first dorsal fin of a blacktip shark originates at the midpoint of the pectoral fin inner margin and has a slightly falcating traiiling edge. The first dorsal fin of the spinner shark originates well behind the rear tips of the pectoral fins, and the posterior edge of the fin is approximately perpendicular to the horizontal axis of the body with a rounded tip.

Feeding & Diet

The spinner shark primarily feeds on small, pelagic teleosts such as ten-pounders, sardines, herrings, anchovies, mullet, bluefish, bonito, croakers, jacks, mojarras, stingrays, squid, and octopus. They may also scavenge discarded fish from fishing vessels (Bester, French & Naylor, 2025).

Their method of feeding is to rapidly swim through schools of fish while spinning on the axis of their body. They may leap out of the water while snapping quickly at fish. Blacktip sharks are also known to feed in the same manner, but spinner sharks use this method more frequently. Spinner sharks will form aggregations during feeding and scavenging events.

Predators of spinner sharks include larger sharks that prey on juvenile and subadults.

A parasitic copepod, Kroyeria deetsi n. sp., has been reporting to attach to the gills of spinner sharks (Cressey, 1970). Other parasitic copepods have been reported as well: Alebion carchariae attaches to their body surface, Nesipuus orientalis attach to their gill arches and in their mouth, Perissopus dentatus attaches to the external nares and trailing edges of fins, and Nemesis pilosus and Nemesis atlantica attaches to their gills.

Position in the Food Web

The spinner shark is considered a mesopredator and secondary piscivore in the food web. It is preyed upon by larger sharks, but consumes prey at lower trophic levels (Hussey et al., 2013).

Reproduction

Spinner sharks are vivaparous, or live-bearing (Bester, French & Naylor, 2025). Embryos are nourished by yolk-sac placenta. Their gestation period is between 11 and 15 months. They give birth at inshore locations during the summer. Litter size averages between 3 and 20 pups, and correlates to maternal length (Palmrose, 2021). Their reproductive cycle is biennial, or every 2 years. Once pups are born, they move to shallow estuarine waters for food and predator evasion.

In North Carolina, a study demonstrated that small juveniles identified North Carolina as a primary and secondary nursery ground for spinner sharks (Thorpe, Jensen & Moser, 2004).

Natural Mortality

The maximum age recorded for a spinner shark is 11 years old. However, researchers believe that they can live between 15 to 20 years old (Bester, French & Naylor, 2025).

Biodiversity

Spinner sharks are found in warm temperate to tropical waters along continental and insular shelves. They form seasonal aggregations that, as a mesopredator, increases local biodiversity and influences prey populations. Predation pressure influences the behavior and spatial distribution of smaller fsh communities that indirectly shapes fish community dynamics.

Demographics

Spinner sharks demonstrate a year-round presence in North Carolina, south of Cape Hatteras (Palmrose, 2021). They inhabit continental and insular shelves from close inshore to offshore. Juveniles enter bays with higher salinity, and avoid brackish and lower salinity conditions.

Migratory Pattern

Spinner sharks are considered a highly migratory species. They are known to inhabit the coastal waters from Cape Cod to southern Brazil. They are present during most seasons (except winter) south of Cape Hatteras in North Carolina (Palmrose, 2021).They are most present in northerly locations during summer and fall when waters are warmer, and migrate south in the cooler winter and spring months.

Ecological Relationships

As a mesopredator, the spinner shark regulates fish populations and maintains the balance of the ecosystem. They share similar foraging behaviors as blacktip sharks. Because they share prey and ecosystem, there is a competitive relationship between spinner sharks and other medium sized sharks, large predatory fish, such as tuna and mackerel, and marine mammals, such as dolphins.

Danger to Humans

Spinner sharks are generally not dangerous to humans. However, they are members of the Carcharhinidae family. It is difficult to discern species from bites in this family as they are very similar. There have been 16 total confirmed unprovoked, non-fatal interactions globally (Florida Museum, 2022).

Fishing Regulations

As of June 2025, in North Carolina, spinner sharks are allowed to be fished at only one (1) shark per vessel per trip for any species under the Large Coastal Sharks policy (FishRules, n. d.; Rawls, 2024). They must be released quickly with the least harm to the shark as possible. If caught, they must fully retain their head, tail and fins; filleting is prohibited until it has reached the dock or the shore. They can only be caught using rod and reel and handlines.

Please Note: The fishing regulations and information provided on this website are for general information purposes only. While we strive to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of the content, fishing laws and regulations can change frequently and vary by location. It is the responsibility of each angler to verify the current local, state, and federal fishing laws before fishing. Always consult the official website or contact the appropriate wildlife and fisheries agency for the most up-to-date rules and regulations.

We are not liable for any penalties, fines, or legal issues that may arise from the use or misuse of the information on this site.

References

Bester, C., French, L., & Naylor, G. (2025, February 3). Spinner shark. Discover Fishes. https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/spinner-shark/

Cressey, R. F. (1970). Copepods parasites on sharks from the West Coast of Florida. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, (38), 1-30. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.38

FishRules. (n.d.). Fishing regulations for shark, spinner in NC North Carolina state waters. Fish Rules. Retrieved June 27, 2025, from https://app.fishrulesapp.com/regulations/2516

Florida Museum. (2022, January 25). Species implicated in attacks. International Shark Attack File. https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/factors/species-implicated/

Hussey, N. E., MacNeil, M. A., McMeans, B. C., Olin, J. A., Dudley, S. F., Cliff, G., Wintner, S. P., Fennessy, S. T., & Fisk, A. T. (2013). Rescaling the trophic structure of marine food webs. Ecology Letters, 17(2), 239-250. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12226

IUCN. (2022). Spinner shark. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved November 8, 2022, from https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/39368/2908817

Palmrose, K. (2021). Reproductive Biology of the Spinner Shark Carcharhinus Brevipinna, Off the Southeast U.S. Coast [Master's thesis]. https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2180&context=etd

Rawls, K. (2024). Proclamation Re: Shark - Commercial and Recreational - Opening Date and Harvest Restrictions (FF-2-2024). NC Division of Marine Fisheries. https://files.nc.gov/deq/documents/2023-12/FF-2-2024_Shark_Opening.pdf?VersionId=ojmPIaCH.7VqI6F8cf_GTAY1fy80NCYY#:~:text=H.,Isurus%20oxyrinchus)%20for%20recreational%20purposes

Thorpe, T., Jensen, C., & Moser, M. (2004). Relative abundance and reproductive characteristics of sharks in southeastern North Carolina coastal waters. Bulletin of Marine Science, 74(1), 3-20. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233519640_Relative_abundance_and_reproductive_characteristics_of_sharks_in_southeastern_North_Carolina_coastal_waters
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