Carcharhinus fitzroyensis (Whitley, 1943)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The creek whaler (Carcharhinus fitzroyensis) is a common species of requiem shark, and part of the family Carcharhinidae, endemic to northern Australia. It frequents shallow waters close to shore, including estuaries. This small, stocky shark usually grows to 1.0–1.3 m (3.3–4.3 ft) long and is brownish in color without conspicuous fin markings. It can be identified by its long snout, large, triangular pectoral fins, and large, anteriorly positioned first dorsal fin.
The diet of the creek whaler consists mainly of small teleost fishes and crustaceans. It is viviparous, with the unborn young being sustained through a placental connection. The defined mating season lasts from May to July. Females give birth to one to seven pups annually, following a gestation period of seven to 9 months. A small number of creek whalers are caught incidentally in inshore gillnets and used for food, but the effect of fishing on its population seems to be inconsequential. As a result, the IUCN has listed this species under Least Concern.
Wikipedia contributors, Creek whaler; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:14:50.250483+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Carcharhinus fitzroyensis (Whitley, 1943)
- Name authority
- (Whitley, 1943)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Carcharhiniformes
- Family
- Carcharhinidae
- Genus
- Carcharhinus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumChondrichthyes
- classElasmobranchii
- subclassNeoselachii
- infraclassSelachii
- superorderGaleomorphi
- orderCarcharhiniformes
- familyCarcharhinidae Jordan & Evermann, 1896
- genusCarcharhinus Blainville, 1816
- speciesCarcharhinus fitzroyensis (Whitley, 1943)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Carcharhinus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Carcharhinus leiodon Garrick, 1985 | CarcharhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| hardnose sharkCarcharhinus macloti (Müller & Henle, 1839) | CarcharhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Carcharhinus obsoletus White, Kyne & Harris, 2019 | CarcharhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| finetooth sharkCarcharhinus isodon (Valenciennes, 1839) | CarcharhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| blacknose sharkCarcharhinus acronotus (Poey, 1860) | CarcharhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| silvertip sharkCarcharhinus albimarginatus (Rüppell, 1837) | CarcharhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Carcharhinus cautus (Whitley, 1945) | CarcharhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Carcharhinus cerdale Gilbert, 1898 | CarcharhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Carcharhinus coatesi (Whitley, 1939) | CarcharhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| whitecheek sharkCarcharhinus dussumieri (Müller & Henle, 1839) | CarcharhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Galapagos sharkCarcharhinus galapagensis (Snodgrass & Heller, 1905) | CarcharhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| oceanic whitetip sharkCarcharhinus longimanus (Poey, 1861) | CarcharhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Galeolamna fitzroyensis Whitley, 1943 Whitley, 1943 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=271321 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:68ZKG. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.