Critically Endangered
These are listed as critically endangered. There was a possible sighting or two, in 2016, and then there are claims it was rediscovered in 2019 but I'm not holding my breath that they were really seen that time. I certainly haven't found anything to confirm the claim. Before those possible sightings though, the last time they were seen was 1979. They used to be commonly caught in the waters off Pakistan and India. They, like all sharks, are in trouble entirely because of people, if they are not already extinct. Their actual full-grown size is unknown. There are very few specimens that have been measured, most of them were young. The smallest one was only 13 inches and is thought to be fairly close to how big they are at birth. They believe they get to about 3 or maybe 3 1/2 feet long.
Unlike the rest of my paintings, this is a second attempt. I could not find any pictures that are actually of the shark, and most descriptions were fairly limited. After I painted the first one, looking at other sharks that had similar descriptions, I found another description that mentioned where the fins were placed. That meant I had to re-do the painting because I really do care about whether I portray them accurately. I try very hard to have them be recognizable for what they are. The pectoral fins are described as sickle shaped, which none of the drawings (essentially all I found was simple line drawings of them) showed. It is the same pose as the last painting I did, but the fins have been adjusted. I am ok with doing second attempts when I discover before posting that my first painting was incorrect.