There are 54 shark species living off the coast of Senegal. Commonly seen sharks include the blue shark, the whale shark, and the shortfin mako shark.
List of the Different Types of Sharks in Senegal
| Species | Maximum Size | Aggressiveness |
| African Sawtail Catshark | 1.5-1.51 feet | Not aggressive |
| Angular Roughshark | 3.3-4.9 feet | Not aggressive |
| Atlantic Weasel Shark | 4.5-4.53 feet | Not aggressive |
| Barbeled Houndshark | 1.7-2 feet | Not aggressive |
Basking Shark |
23-30 feet | Not aggressive |
Bigeye Thresher Shark |
11-16 feet | Not aggressive |
| Bignose Shark | 8.5-9.5 feet | Highly aggressive (but not dangerous since they are less encountered) |
| Birdbeak Dogfish | 3.9-4 feet | Not aggressive |
| Blacktip Shark | 5-8 feet | Moderately aggressive |
Blue Shark |
6-11 feet | Not aggressive |
| Bluntnose Six-gill Shark | 15-20 feet | Moderately aggressive (rarely targets humans, reports of just one provoked attack) |
Bramble Shark |
9.2-10 feet | Not aggressive |
Bull Shark |
7-12 feet | Highly aggressive |
| Common Smooth-hound Shark | 3-4 feet | Not aggressive |
| Common Thresher Shark | 12-18 feet | Not aggressive |
Cookiecutter Shark |
1.5-3.5 feet | Not aggressive |
| Crocodile Shark | 2.5-4 feet | Not aggressive |
Dusky Shark |
9 -12 feet | Not aggressive (until provoked) |
| False Cat Shark | 8-10 feet | Not aggressive |
| Frilled Shark | 5.6-6.6 feet | Not aggressive |
| Great Hammerhead Shark | 15-20 feet | Highly aggressive |
Great White Shark |
11-16 feet | Highly aggressive |
| Gulper Shark | 2.5-3 feet | Not aggressive |
| Kitefin Shark | 3-5 feet | Not aggressive |
| Leafscale Gulper Shark | 5-5.2 feet | Not aggressive |
Lemon Shark |
9-10 feet | Not aggressive |
| Little Gulper Shark | 2.6-3.6 feet | Not aggressive |
Longfin Mako Shark |
12-14 feet | Highly aggressive |
| Longnose Spurdog | 3-3.3 feet | Not aggressive |
| Longnose Velvet Dogfish | 2.1-3.4 feet | Not aggressive |
| Lowfin Gulper Shark | 5.2-5.24 feet | Not aggressive |
Milk Shark |
3.6-3.7 feet | Not aggressive |
| Night Shark | 5-6 feet | Not aggressive |
Nurse Shark |
7-8 feet | Not aggressive |
| Nursehound Shark | 4.3-5.2 feet | Not aggressive |
| Oceanic Whitetip Shark | 10-13 feet | Highly Aggressive |
| Portuguese Dogfish | 3-3.3 feet | Not aggressive |
| Roughskin Dogfish | 3.9-4 feet | Not aggressive |
| Sand Tiger Shark | 7-10 feet | Not aggressive (due to their small mouths) |
Sandbar Shark |
5.5-8.5 feet | Not aggressive |
| Sailfin Roughshark | 3.7-3.9 feet | Not aggressive |
Scalloped Hammerhead Shark |
9-12 feet | Moderately aggressive |
Sharpnose Sevengill Shark |
2-4.6 feet | Moderately aggressive |
Shortfin Mako Shark |
6.5-9.5 feet | Highly aggressive |
Silky Shark |
7-10 feet | Highly aggressive |
| Small-spotted Catshark | 1.5-3 feet | Not aggressive |
| Smooth Hammerhead Shark | 8-12 feet | Not aggressive (but are potentially dangerous) |
| Smooth Lantern Shark | 1-1.5 feet | Not aggressive |
Spinner Shark |
7 -8 feet | Not aggressive |
| Spiny Dogfish | 2.5-3.5 feet | Not aggressive (due to their small size) |
Tiger Shark |
10-14 feet | Highly aggressive |
| Velvet Belly Lanternshark | 1-2 feet | Not aggressive |
| Velvet Dogfish | 2-3 feet | Not aggressive |
Whale Shark |
18-32 feet | Not aggressive |
Recent Cases of Shark Attacks in Senegal >>
FAQs
1. Can you go diving with sharks in Senegal?
From July to November, nurse sharks can be seen while diving.
2. Have there been shark attacks in Senegal?
Only six unprovoked shark attacks have occurred in Senegal’s history, with the last one taking place in 1967. Out of these attacks, two of them were fatal.
