The Carcharhinus genus of sharks is the most prolific shark species in Florida. Carcharhinus sharks are more commonly referred to as requiem sharks. The Sunshine State's Carcharhinus species are the blacktip, spinner, sandbar and blacknose sharks. The physical characteristics of requiem sharks include round eyes and pectoral fins that are completely behind the gills. In Florida, Carcharhinus sharks are medium-sized, with the largest species being the sandbar shark. These sharks reach 6 to 8 feet when fully mature. The smallest Carcharhinus shark in Florida is the blacknose shark, which grows to lengths of 5 feet.
Sharks in the Sphyrna genus are also known as hammerhead sharks. As their name suggests, hammerhead sharks have hammer-shaped heads; the scientific name for a hammerhead shark's head is "cephalofoil." Sphyrna sharks swim in schools. This is contrary to other shark species, who prefer to swim alone. The two Sphyrna species in Florida are the bonnethead shark and the scalloped hammerhead shark. The scalloped hammerhead is a medium-sized shark at 6 feet, while the bonnethead shark is approximately 3 to 4 feet long when it's mature. The bonnethead's head shape resembles a shovel.
The sharpnose shark, under the genus Rhizoprionodon, is a member of the requiem shark family. However, this species of sharks differs from other requiem sharks because they have sharp, pointed noses. In Florida, the only species of Rhizopriondon is the Atlantic sharpnose shark. Most of these sharks dwell in estuaries throughout the Sunshine State, although some adults live in the ocean. The Atlantic sharpnose shark is one of the smallest shark species in Florida; their length ranges from 2 to 4 feet.
The only lemon shark species in Florida is the lemon shark, which falls under the Negaprion genus. Negaprions are a small sect in the requiem shark family. These sharks have yellow skin covering most of their body. The longest adult lemon sharks in Florida reach lengths of 9 to 11 feet. This shark is usually found near wreckage and is known to eat other shark species. According to National Geographic, the life cycle of lemon sharks is one of the least-studied life cycles among all of Florida's sharks.