Silky Shark
Also callednet-eater shark, tiburón piloto
In the eastern Pacific, the listed range starts at the lagoons of central Baja California.
Sightings
2026 season, numbered oldest first, every one sourced
- #1Oct 22, 20261 reportSan Diego County (exact spot hidden)
- Source
- iNaturalist 410140600
About this fish
What it is, where it comes from, and whether it has been here before
How it lives
Silky sharks are most common near the edges of continental and island shelves. They also range over the open sea and come inshore now and then. FishBase calls them quick-moving and aggressive, and it lists them as dangerous to people. They often travel with schools of tuna and eat mostly fish, along with squid, paper nautiluses and pelagic crabs. Females give birth to 2 to 14 live young, each about 29 to 34 inches long. Fishing boats take them for fins, meat, hide and liver oil, and the IUCN lists the species as Vulnerable.
Where it normally lives
Warm seas around the world. In the eastern Pacific, from the lagoons of central Baja California to northern Chile, including the Gulf of California and the Galapagos Islands.
Silky sharks live in warm seas around the world. In the eastern Pacific, the listed range runs from the lagoons of central Baja California to northern Chile, including the Gulf of California and the Galapagos Islands. Mexican Fish says they live in tropical water warmer than about 73 F.
Range source: Love and colleagues, 2021 checklist of Pacific coast fishes · FishBase · Mexican Fish.com
In California
The listed range stops well south of California. On October 22, 2026, an iNaturalist user logged a silky shark in San Diego County with the exact spot hidden. The record reached research grade, which means other users agreed with the ID.
Photos
From California this season
No photos yet. If you photographed this animal in California this season, send it in.
Identification
How to tell it from the locals
The silky shark is a large, slim shark with a long, flat, rounded snout, large eyes and small jaws. FishBase describes it as gray or bluish-gray above and white below, with no strong fin markings. Mexican Fish calls the back a deep metallic brown-gray and the pectoral fins, the side fins, narrow, sickle-shaped and very long. The second dorsal fin, the small fin near the tail, is low with a very long rear tip. It reaches about 11.5 feet.
Details
Rarity in the compendium is Nautical Nick's call on how likely a diver is to run into the animal on the California coast this season, not how rare it is where it normally lives.