Carcharias, also known as sand tiger sharks, is a genus of mackerel sharks belonging to the family Carchariidae, of which it is the only extant member. Once bearing many prehistoric species, all have gone extinct with the exception of the critically endangered sand tiger shark.
Carcharias are long on average. The maximum weight of the shark is .
Differentiating species of sharks is usually done by locating and measuring their fins. The tail is one third of the entire body size. The second dorsal fin and the anal fin of Carcharias are large and about equal in size. The pectoral fins are triangular and slightly larger than the dorsal fins. The teeth are long and narrow with sharp points, and smooth with no ridges.
Carcharias species are generalist predators that hunt bony fish, small sharks, rays, squids, crabs and lobsters.
Sand tiger sharks are found in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. They live in water depths ranging from , and are commonly found in sandy surf zones.
With the Ancient Greek name úñÃÂÃÂñÃÂïñà(karkharÃÂas) literally translating to "shark", many extant species were placed into this genus before being moved to different genera and orders.
Based on Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes:
Extinct species within this genus lived from the Cretaceous period to the Quaternary period (from 99.7 to 0.012 Ma). Fossils have been found all over the world, especially in the Miocene and Oligocene sediments of Europe, the United States and Australia, in the Eocene of Egypt, Europe and the United States, as well as in the Cretaceous of Australia, Canada, the United States, Europe and Africa. Species from the fossil record include: