reelemin wrote:
im not questioning your skills but you say there bt's witch i asume is
Black Tips but those look like spinners to me. there dorsal fin looks to far back to be a black tip and the black tips i have seen have a little more black on them but im sorry if im wrong i could be wrong. just wondering.
No big deal,.... from my experience some of the smaller to medium BTs and SPs markings can be a tad vague at times. I usually try to get a good look at the anal fin marking as w/SPs there is a black marked coloration verus the opposite on the BTs. I don't pay any attention to black markings on any of the other fins. Yes the position of the dorsal is a definate trademark as w/SPs it is a tad further back and the dorsal is also smaller than the dorsal on the BTs. Certainly a few of the shots are'nt the best for the anal ID.
I got into the habit of lifting the tail a long time ago to try to help me ID the Sharks (BT/SPs) later by getting a decent look at the anal fin markings in addition to a decent profile of the dorsal as well.
FWIW: Here's a link to a recent post on EC discussing this same subject, as you can see there are a few very distinct visual examples showing some Spinners.
http://extremecoast.com/phpBB2/viewtopi ... sc&start=0
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Oz said it best:
"The markings on the anal fin should be dark black and pronounced... very noticable.
I'd say over 90% of the Texas AND Florida guys who claim Sharks as Spinners are actually Blacktips. It has been a long tradition amongst both regions to identify the Spinner species by if or how it breaches the water going aerial. Other unvalidated methods to identify between the two also causes confusion.
Overall, it is quite simple. A TRUE Spinner Shark has a very small dorsal fin, including very small eyes, and a much more elongated and pointed snout. You should be able to identify a Spinner by not even looking at the anal fin. The only time when confusion should be present is when you have young neonates or smaller pups. During this younger stage you can go by the black anal fin trick to rule out other sharks."
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