The Atlantic sharpnose shark, Rhizoprionodon terraenovae, is a requiem shark

Requiem shark

Requiem sharks are a family, Carcharhinidae, of sharks in the order Carcharhiniformes, containing migratory, live-bearing sharks of warm seas such as the tiger shark, the blue shark, the bull shark, and the milk shark.The name may be related to the French word for shark, "requin", itself of...

 of the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Carcharhinidae, found in the subtropical waters of the northwestern Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

 between latitudes 43° N

43rd parallel north

The 43rd parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 43 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean....

 and 25° S

25th parallel south

The 25th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 25 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane, just south of the Tropic of Capricorn...

,

Habitat

Atlantic Sharpnose sharks are found in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean & Gulf of Mexico. At depths of from surf zone to 280 m (920 ft). They prefer the shallow coastal (less than 12 m) waters during the late spring and summer months. While the seem to prefer the deeper offshore (deeper than 90 m) waters during the winter months. They are found year round from the Carolina coast southward to Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico.

Size

The Atlantic Sharpnose Shark's maximum species length is about 1.22 m (about 4 ft). But the average adult Atlantic Sharpnose seem to be about 99-106.7 cm (39-42 inches) in length. They usually mature at between 79-89 cm (31-35 inches) in total length at roughly 2-4 years of age. Atlantic Sharpnose sharks may live to 9-12 years of age. Like most sharks, the females seem to be larger than the males.

Reproduction

Females give live-birth to a litter of 3-7 pups after a gestation period of 10-11 months. The pups are usually born at between 25-35 cm (10-14 inches) in total length. Females will often be found in the marine estuaries during the late spring months, as these are likely pupping grounds where they give birth to their young.