Sphyrna tiburo (LINNAEUS, 1758)
Description after Gilbert 1967 [#946]:
Teeth 12 to 14 - 0 or 1 - 12 to 14/12 to 14 - 1 - 12 to 14; teeth not serrate; first upper tooth erect and symmetrical, but subsequent upper teeth becoming increasingly oblique toward corners of mouth; teeth 3 through 10 or 11 largest in both jaws; cusps evident only on teeth 1 through 9 in specimens examined (through 11 or 12 according to Bigelow and Schroeder, 1948, p. 423); lower teeth shorter than upper teeth, with narrower cusps and slightly broader bases, the first through third teeth erect and symmetrical, the fourth through seventh or eighth slightly oblique, the eighth and subsequent teeth without cusps or definite cutting edges; three series of teeth functional in front and one or two series functional along side of upper jaw; four to six series functional in front, usually two functional along side, and three functional toward corner of mouth of lower jaw.
Figure 11. Sphyrna tihuro: c, upper and lower teeth, left side, of male, 812 mm. TL, from Tortugas, Fla. (MCZ 848), about 1.5 X ; d, fourth upper tooth; e, tenth upper tooth; f, second lower tooth; g, seventh lower tooth; h, tenth lower tooth; I, dermal denticles, about 14 X (MCZ 90); j, lateral and apical views of dermal denticle, about 26 X. (d-h, about 3 X .) (From Bigelow and Schroeder, 1948, p. 421.)
Material: sex?, 137 cm TL, near Georgetown, South Carolina, 13.06.1995, collection: Jaws International, Gordon Hubbell, Florida
Images: © Ross Robertson, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, images shows the correct position of the teeth;
Material: sex?, 101 cm TL, collection: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, nr. 32601-2, Florida, Franklin Country, Alligator Point, 2 miles southeast of St. Teresa, 01.09.1961
