Which shark species is named for spinning leaps while feeding?

The spinner shark is named for the spinning leaps it makes while feeding.

Its scientific name is Carcharhinus brevipinna, and it belongs to the requiem shark family, Carcharhinidae. When feeding on dense schools of small fish, spinner sharks may charge vertically through the school while rotating around their own axis. Their momentum can carry them clear of the water, producing the spectacular spinning leap behind the common name.

Spinner sharks eat small bony fishes and sometimes squid, octopuses, cuttlefish, and stingrays. They are fast, slender sharks that often hunt in groups. The species occurs in tropical and warm-temperate waters worldwide, except for the eastern Pacific, and prefers relatively shallow coastal habitats.

The spinner shark is frequently confused with the blacktip shark because the two species look alike and can both leap while feeding. A useful distinction is that spinner sharks have a more rearward first dorsal fin and an adult black tip on the anal fin. They can reach about 3 metres and are classified as Vulnerable.