Where are silky sharks found?

Worldwide in tropical pelagic waters, most often over the edge of the continental shelf down to about 50 m.

Are silky sharks dangerous to divers?

Their large size and cutting teeth make them potentially dangerous and they have behaved aggressively toward divers, but attacks on humans are rare.

How do silky sharks reproduce?

They are viviparous, with embryos nourished via a placental connection; females produce litters of up to 16 pups annually or biennially, varying by region.

Why are silky sharks declining?

Declines are linked to targeted fishing for fins and meat and high levels of bycatch in tuna fisheries.

When was the species assessed by the IUCN?

The silky shark was reassessed as Vulnerable by the IUCN in 2017.

How large do silky sharks grow?

They typically grow to about 2.5 m in length.

Where to See Silky Shark While Diving

Q: What do silky sharks eat?

They feed mainly on bony fishes and cephalopods and often trail schools of tuna to find prey.

The silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) is a requiem shark named for the smooth texture of its skin. It is one of the most abundant sharks in the pelagic zone and occurs worldwide in tropical waters. Highly mobile and migratory, silky sharks are most often found over the edge of the continental shelf down to about 50 m.

Silky sharks have a slender, streamlined body and commonly reach lengths around 2.5 m. Identification features include a relatively small first dorsal fin with a curving rear margin, a tiny second dorsal fin with a long free rear tip, long sickle-shaped pectoral fins, and a deep metallic bronze-gray dorsum with a white underside.

They are swift, inquisitive, and persistent hunters that feed mainly on bony fishes and cephalopods, and often trail schools of tuna. Their highly acute hearing helps them localize low-frequency sounds produced by feeding animals. Silky sharks have live birth (viviparous) with embryos sustained via a placental connection; females give birth to litters of up to 16 pups either annually or biennially depending on region. Newborns spend their first months in relatively sheltered reef nurseries on the outer continental shelf before moving offshore.

The strongest linked planning options currently surface around destinations such as Addu Atoll (Seenu Atoll), Channel Islands, Gaafu Atoll (Huvadhoo Atoll) and countries such as French Polynesia, Maldives, Mexico for divers building trips around silky sharks.