River shark
Speerzahnhai ( Glyphis Glyphis )
The river sharks ( Glyphis ) are a genus of requiem sharks ( Carcharhinidae ). Which currently comprises five species that prefer to live in fresh and brackish waters of large rivers.
Appearance and characteristics
See the most between one and up to three meters long gray- brown colored Glyphis species in shape to the representatives of the genus Carcharhinus very similar, in which they were originally also classified. They have like this one anal fin and two dorsal fins, of which the front is larger than the rear, and are also characterized by five gill slits, round eyes with special eyelids and single pointed blade-like teeth. In addition, they do not have a spray hole, the edges of the upper jaw are cut, the lower incisors, however narrow and long and cut only at the tips. The second dorsal fin is much higher than in the Carcharhinus species, also is the upper pit of the tail stem a longitudinal pit during the Carcharhinus species have a crescent-shaped pit.
Way of life
Glyphis species are strong swimmers and feed on predatory probably of different fish, but this is very little explored. Also, further details of their life are largely unknown, from the Ganges is believed that he probably gets his boys in fresh water, the females are viviparous. Documented these attacks on people or body corrosion is probably due to a confusion with the bull or bull shark ( Carcharhinus leucas ) due, which can also occur in freshwater.
Dissemination
The Ganges lives in the estuaries of large rivers such as the West Bengal region of the Ganges and the Hooghly, perhaps in Pakistan (possibly confused with the Bull Shark ). The Speerzahnhai lives in the coastal areas of New Guinea and northern Australia. The other species occur at the mouth of the Irrawaddy in Burma, on the coast of northeastern Kalimantan, in the Fly River in New Guinea and on the coast of northern Australia.
System
Today there are five types are accepted for the genus Glyphis, two of which were previously assigned to the Speerzahnhai. As clearly distinguish the populations of Speerzahnhais but by the number of vertebrae, is not completely clear whether it is a species or to several. Compagno 2005, inter alia, take three more undescribed species in the area of the Indo-Pacific from which to Glyphis garricki in 2008 by Compagno, White and load as well as the Borneo Flusshai ( Glyphis fowlerae ) in 2010 by Compagno, White and Cavanagh has been described.
- Borneo Flusshai ( Glyphis fowlerae )
- Ganges ( Glyphis gangeticus )
- Glyphis garricki
- Speerzahnhai ( Glyphis Glyphis )
- Irrawaddy Flusshai ( Glyphis siamensis )