Galeorhinus galeus Shark Jaws

Contact Us

Home Page

Shark and Ray Jaws

Order Information

Tope Shark (Galeorhinus galeus)

Linnaeus originally described the tope shark as Squalus galeus in 1758. However, this name was changed later that year to Galeorhinus galeus (Linnaeus, 1758). The genus Galeorhinus is derived from the Greek words "galeos" meaning a shark and "rhinos" which means nose. This species is a member of the Family Triakidae, also referred to as the houndsharks, that includes a total of 33 species. Synonyms appearing in past scientific literature referring to this species include Galeus vulgaris Fleming 1828, Galeus canis Bonaparte 1834, Galeus nilssoni Bonaparte 1846, Galeus communis Owen 1853, Galeus linnei Malm 1877, Galeus australis Macleay 1881, Galeorhinus australis Macleay 1881, Galeorhinus zyopterus Jordan & Gilbert 1883, Galeus zyopterus Jordan & Gilbert 1883, Galeorhinus chilensis Perez Canto 1886, Galeus chilensis Perez Canto 1886, Galeus molinae Philippi 1887, Carcharhinus cyrano Whitley 1930, and Galeorhinus vitaminicus de Buen 1950.

    English language common names include tope shark, eastern school shark, flake, greyboy, greyshark, Penny's dog, schnapper shark, school shark, sharpie shark, soupfin shark, Sweet William shark, tope oil shark, tope school shark, tope soupfin shark, and vitamin shark. Other common names from around the globe are aceitero

The tope shark occurs in temperate and subtropical seas between 68°N - 55°S latitude. In the western Atlantic Ocean, its range is limited from southern Brazil to Argentina while in the eastern Atlantic it can be found from Iceland to South Africa, including the Mediterranean Sea. In the western Indian Ocean region, the tope shark resides only in waters off South Africa. Distribution in the southwestern Pacific Ocean occurs in waters off Australia and New Zealand while in the eastern Pacific Ocean this shark lives in waters from British Columbia, Canada, south to Baja California (U.S.) and the Gulf of California in Mexico as well as waters off Peru and Chile.

The tope shark is an abundant species that resides in continental and insular waters including shallow bays. It is also found in offshore waters as well as in the surf zone. This shark commonly occurs near the bottom substrate at depths to 1,804 feet (550 m). It also is pelagic in open waters as evidenced by capture on floating longlines in deep waters.

At the higher latitudes in its range, the tope shark is a highly migratory species. In some locations, small schools of tope sharks moved toward the poles during the summer and toward the equator during the cool winter months. These sharks are strong swimmers, capable of swimming up to 35 miles (56 km) per day.

Schools of tope sharks display partial segregation by sex and size. In waters off California (U.S.) during the early 20th century, there was a change in dominance of adult males to adult females from north to south with equal numbers of both sexes in waters off central California. Exceptions to this segregation occurred only at the pupping grounds in southern inshore locations where females dominated.

The tope shark is a large, slender houndshark (Family Triakidae), with a long snout and large mouth. Pronounced spiracles are located just behind the large, almond-shaped eyes. The first dorsal fin is much larger than the second dorsal. The second dorsal fin is located nearly over the anal fin and is of approximately the same size. This same-sized dorsal and anal fin measurement along with the large terminal caudal tab which extends about half the length of the dorsal caudal margin distinguishes this shark from other houndsharks.

The color of the tope shark ranges from bluish to dusky gray on the dorsal surface, fading to a white ventral side. Young individuals less than 2 feet (61 cm) in length have black-tipped dorsal and caudal fins, and a white trailing edge on the pectoral fins.

	Size	Item #	Price
	6" X 5"	SCHOOL1	$85.00
	6" X 5"	SCHOOL2	$85.00
	6 1/2" X 4 3/4"	SCHOOL3	$80.00
	6" X 4 1/2"	TOPE1	$65.00
	6" X 5 1/4"	Soupfin2	$65.00