Widespread in warm oceans, rivers and lakes. Western Atlantic: Massachusetts, USA to Argentina. Eastern Atlantic: Morocco, Senegal to Angola. Indo-West Pacific: Kenya and South Africa to India, then, Viet Nam to Australia. Eastern Pacific: southern Baja California, Mexico to Ecuador and possibly occurring in Peru. Sympatric with Carcharhinus amboinensis, Glyphis gangeticus.

A massive shark with a short, broad and blunt snout, small eyes and triangular saw-edged upper teeth; and lack of interdorsal ridge are sufficient to distinguish this species. 1st dorsal fin broad and triangular and less than 3.2 times height of 2nd dorsal fin; no interdorsal ridge.

A coastal and freshwater shark inhabiting shallow waters especially in bays, estuaries, rivers, and lakes. Readily penetrates far up rivers and hypersaline bays. Capable of covering great distances (up to 180 kilometers in 24 hours), moving between fresh and brackish water at random. Adults often found near estuaries and freshwater inflows to the sea. Young enter rivers and may be found hundreds of km from the sea.