Shark Identification

Shark species look alike and the regulations differ sharply. Several are prohibited entirely. Upload a photo, then confirm against your state's rules before handling any shark.

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What sharks & rays covers

Shark identification carries a consequence the other categories do not: a number of species are prohibited outright, and several of those are near-identical to species that are not. The requiem sharks in particular are separated by fin position and the presence or absence of a ridge between the dorsals, rather than by anything as visible as colour.

How to identify sharks & rays

Work through these in order. Each step narrows the shortlist, so the later ones are only needed when the earlier ones leave more than one candidate.

Look for a ridge between the dorsal fins. Run your eye down the back between the first and second dorsal fin. A raised ridge there separates the ridgeback species, including sandbar and dusky, from the non-ridgeback species such as blacktip and bull. It is the single most useful shark field mark.
Check where the first dorsal fin starts. Note the fin's leading edge relative to the pectoral fins. Sandbar sharks carry a notably tall first dorsal that begins over or ahead of the pectoral insertion. On dusky sharks it begins behind that point.
Read the fin tips. Black tips on the pectorals, dorsal and lower tail lobe point to blacktip or spinner. The separator is the anal fin: black-tipped on a spinner, plain on a blacktip.
Check the head shape. A broad flattened head means a hammerhead species, and the shape of the front margin separates them: a smooth shovel-like curve is a bonnethead, a notched, more angular head is a scalloped or great hammerhead.

Commonly confused species

These are the pairs anglers mix up most often, and each one turns on a single reliable mark.

Blacktip vs Spinner Shark

Check the anal fin: spinner sharks have a black-tipped anal fin, blacktip sharks do not. The first dorsal on a spinner also starts further back, behind the pectoral fin insertion.

Sandbar vs Dusky Shark

Sandbar sharks have a notably tall first dorsal fin that starts over or ahead of the pectoral fin insertion. On dusky sharks the dorsal is lower and set further back.

Bonnethead vs Hammerhead

Bonnetheads have a smooth, rounded shovel-shaped head with no indentations. True hammerheads have a broad, notched head with the eyes at the outer tips.

Bull vs Blacktip Shark

Bull sharks are heavy-bodied with a short, blunt, broadly rounded snout and no interdorsal ridge. Blacktips are slimmer with a longer pointed snout and conspicuous black fin tips.

Where identification goes wrong

Knowing where the marks stop working is most of knowing when to trust them.

Several look-alike pairs straddle the prohibited line. Dusky and sandbar sharks are the most consequential, and misidentifying one for the other has legal weight.
Photographs taken boatside rarely show the interdorsal ridge or the anal fin, which are the two marks that actually separate the difficult pairs.
Juvenile sharks of several requiem species share proportions and markings that only diverge as they mature.

Frequently asked questions

How do you identify a shark species?

Check for a ridge between the two dorsal fins, then note where the first dorsal begins relative to the pectoral fins, then read the fin tips and head shape. Those four marks separate most commonly encountered North American sharks.

How do you tell a blacktip from a spinner shark?

Look at the anal fin. Spinner sharks have a black-tipped anal fin; blacktip sharks have a plain one, despite black tips on their other fins. Spinner sharks also carry a first dorsal that starts further back on the body.

Are some shark species illegal to keep?

Yes. A number of species are prohibited in US federal and state waters, including dusky, sandbar, and several hammerheads, and some of these closely resemble species that may be retained. Confirm the species and the current rules with your state or federal fisheries agency before handling or keeping any shark.

Sharks & rays in the reference (35)

Every species here has a profile with its range, IUCN status, and identification notes.