First record of the white shark Carcharodon carcharias (Lamniformes: Lamnidae) from Sabah, Malaysian Borneo

Abstract

Background: Although widespread and intensively studied in the Southwest and Northeast Pacific Ocean, relatively little is known of the distribution and biology of the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) Northwest Pacific. Results and conclusions: Three underwater photographs of a large white shark taken near the St. Joseph oil field, Sabah, in 1981 represent the first confirmed record of the species from Borneo. This record and one from Lombok Strait suggest that white sharks may move between Northwest Pacific and Indian Oceans across the Sunda Shelf.