PHOTOS: Sharks of North Carolina

Blacknose shark: (Carcharhinus acronotus) These are relatively small, reaching lengths of about 5 feet. These can be found close to the beach south of Cape Hatteras during the summer and will occasionally enter inlets. Blacknose sharks have a distinctive black mark on the end of their snouts and are generally yellow-gray in color. Photo by NOAA

Sandbar shark: (Carcharhinus plumbeus) These are among the most common large sharks in North Carolina waters and can reach 8 feet long. They can be found offshore year-round but are most common in the late summer and autumn. They are usually light gray or brown, have tall dorsal fins and have snouts shorter than the width of their mouths. The (Jacksonville, N.C.) Daily News file photo

Atlantic sharpnose shark: (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae) These are among the most common sharks off North Carolina. Adults, found both in estuarine and oceanic waters, usually during summer and autumn, can reach 4 feet in length. Their foot-long pups can be very common in sounds and are often caught by fishermen. Adults generally are greenish-gray with white spots. Pups are usually lighter colored. Photo by NOAA/NEFSC

Spinner shark: (Carcharhinus brevipinna) These can be almost 10 feet long, but average about 6 feet. They are ocean-dwelling sharks and are most common inshore in North Carolina during summer and autumn. Spinner sharks are commonly found in shallow waters less than 100 feet deep. They are gray and recognizable by their pointed snouts and black-tipped lower caudal fins. Photo by NOAA

Tiger shark: (Galeocerdo cuvier) One of the largest and most potentially dangerous of North Carolina’s coastal sharks, they can reach 18 feet in length. Tigers feed on a variety of prey including large fish, sea turtles and other sharks. They occasionally scavenge garbage. They have square-shaped snouts and stripes. Bigstock photo

Lemon shark: (Negaprion brevirostris) These can grow to be up to 10.5 feet long and are primarily coastal sharks. They are common around coral keys, docks, bays and estuaries. They are yellowish-green, brown or olive-gray in color with yellowish bellies. Their snouts are blunt and are shorter than the width of their mouths. Bigstock photo

Bonnethead: (Sphyrna tiburo) Members of the hammerhead shark family, bonnethead adults reach a maximum length of 5 feet. Bonnetheads primarily feed on crustaceans, especially blue crabs, and can be seen sweeping their heads across the bottom to detect electrical signals given off by buried prey. These sharks have smaller, more rounded “hammers” than other hammerhead species. Sarasota Herald-Tribune file photo

From bonnetheads to bull sharks, the waters off of North Carolina are home to a variety of shark species. Here are the 15 types of sharks most commonly spotted off the Carolina coast. File photo

Scalloped hammerhead: (Sphyrna lewini) They can grow to be up to 12 feet long. Their preferred habitat is ocean waters more than 72 degrees, coastal and offshore. Scalloped hammerheads are most common inshore in North Carolina during the summer and autumn. Their distinguishing characteristics include their hammer-shaped heads with prominent indentions and their deep olive or brownish-gray color. Photo by Barry Peters

Finetooth shark: (Carcharhinus isodon) These can grow to be about 6 feet long. They are coastal sharks and prefer inshore shallow waters less than 20 feet deep. They can be found between New York and Florida, but they are rare north of North Carolina. They are recognizable by their pointed snouts, bluish-gray tops, white bottoms and slender, serrated teeth. Photo courtesy NOAA

Smooth dogfish: They can be more than 5 feet long. Adults come inshore in autumn and spring then leave, possibly giving birth in sounds. Juveniles are found in shallow sound waters year-round, and venture into nearshore ocean waters. They are light to dark gray in color, have large catlike eyes and have small barbels on their nostrils. Photo by Elizabeth Roberts

Dusky shark. (Carcharhinus obscurus) Among the largest coastal sharks, they reach lengths of 12 feet and measure nearly 4 feet at birth. This is a very slow-growing species, taking as many as 17 years to reach reproductive maturity. Juveniles overwinter off Cape Hatteras, and adults can be found farther offshore year-round. Dusky sharks usually are dark grey in color and have curved dorsal fins, with the leading edge even with the trailing edge of the pectoral fins. Photo courtesy of Creative Commons

Great and smooth hammerheads: The smooth hammerhead (Sphyrna zygaena) is between 8-12 feet long. The great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran, pictured), largest of the hammerheads, is between 10-13 feet long. Hammerheads are coastal species that like deep waters, bays and estuaries. Hammerheads have heads that are flat and hammer-like. They have dark olive to brown-gray coloring on the top and white undersides. Bigstock photo

Great white shark: (Carcharodon carcharias) The white shark, commonly known as the great white, can weigh 4,000 pounds and grow to 21 feet long. This species can be found in coastal waters, along the continental shelf and islands (especially near seal or sea lion colonies), and offshore in the ocean. It has a conical snout and large triangular dorsal fin. Bigstock photo