Sandbar Shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus)
The sandbar shark derives its name from its preferred habitat of sandy bottoms. Found within shallow, coastal, and deep waters, the sandbar shark prefers a temperature range of temperate to tropical and is found in waters worldwide. They make seasonal migrations going north in the summer and south in the winter. Sandbar sharks are some of the largest sharks in the world with round snouts and heavyset bodies that can reach 8 ft. in length. Their identifying feature is the large triangular dorsal fin that sits high on their bodies and can weigh as much as 18% of their body weight. Sandbar sharks are opportunistic feeders eating bony fishes, smaller sharks, rays, crabs, and shrimps throughout the day and becoming more active at night. The sandbar shark is caught for its meat, leather, oil, and especially its large fins. As a result, the sandbar shark population in the United States is currently in a very poor state. In addition, the sandbar shark is listed as "low risk/near threatened" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's "Red List" of threatened species.

Dusky Shark (Carcharhinus obscurus)
The dusky shark derives its name from having "dusky" or darkened tips on its fins. Found in temperate and tropical waters, the dusky shark inhabits the inshore and open ocean from the surface to the bottom. Highly migratory, the dusky shark goes north in the summer and south in the winter. Dusky sharks have a rounded snout and a streamlined body that can reach 13 ft. in length. Dusky sharks can be identified by the stripe running lengthwise across their bodies. Their preferred prey include: bony fishes, along with other shark species, rays, eels, crabs, and barnacles. Currently dusky sharks can not be legally harvested in the U.S. but harvest often continues with the dusky sharks being landed as sanbar sharks. In addition, dusky sharks are caught as bycatch in other U.S. shark fisheries.  According to the IUCN, the dusky shark is "among the slowest-growing, latest-maturing of known sharks and one of the most vulnerable of vertebrates to depletion by man because of its very low intrinsic rate of increase." Since the dusky shark is not supposed to be targeted, its largest threat is being caught as bycatch. As a result the dusky shark is listed as "low risk/near threatened" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's "Red List" of threatened species.