Torpedo-shaped body with large first dorsal fin and small second dorsal and anal fins. It has a general appearance similar to other more tropical whaler sharks, but can usually be identified by its bronze upper colouration on live specimens and the lack of a ridge of skin running between the dorsal fins. The species is, however, often confused with the black whaler Carcharhinus obscurus, a second whaler shark found in southern Australian waters. The black whaler has black or white tips to the pectoral fins and a more rounded tip to the dorsal fin. Both temperate whalers are potentially dangerous and have a liking for speared fish, but more often the bronze whaler feeds on schooling pelagic fishes such as Australian salmon, and the black whaler feeds on bottom-dwelling animals.

• Max Size: 325 cm
• Depth: 0-100m
• Habitat: Open ocean, Rocky Reef, Soft sediment

• IUCN Threat Status: Near Threatened
• Occurrence: Infrequent (2% of sites)
  Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
• Abundance: Solitary (1 per transect)
  Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.