This rare species is often mistaken for the much more common sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus), from which it can be distinguished by its first dorsal fin, which is larger than the second and placed further forward.

The smalltooth sand tiger was originally described as Squalus ferox by Italian-French naturalist Antoine Risso in 1810, based on a specimen from Nice, France.

[6] Fossil teeth belonging to the smalltooth sand tiger have been found from Lower Pliocene from 5.3 to 3.6 million years ago (Mya) in deposits in Italy and Venezuela.

The eyes are medium-sized, with large, round pupils (as opposed to slit-like in the grey nurse shark), and lack nictitating membranes.

[9] Juveniles are uniform in color with darker fin margins, while adults often exhibit dark spots or blotches that vary widely in pattern, size, and density.

[9] Smalltooth sand tigers have been caught at widely scattered locations throughout the world, indicating a possibly circumtropical distribution.

In the eastern Atlantic Ocean, it is known from the Bay of Biscay south to Morocco, including the Mediterranean Sea, the Azores, and the Canary Islands.

[11] In the western Atlantic, it has been reported from off North Carolina and Florida (USA), the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico), and Fernando de Noronha (Brazil).

Catch records suggest this species may cover long distances in oceanic waters along underwater ridges or "hopping" between seamounts.

[9] At a location called "Shark Point" off Beirut, Lebanon, small groups of smalltooth sand tigers appear every summer on rocky reefs at a depth of 30–45 m (98–148 ft).

The carcass of a 3.7-m-long (12.1 ft) female found off Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands contained a number of snubnosed eels (Simenchelys parasitica) inside her heart, body cavity, and back muscles.

[3] Compared to the grey nurse shark, the dentition of the smalltooth sand tiger is less robust and lacks specialized cutting and crushing teeth, suggesting that it tends to tackle smaller prey.

It is usually discarded when caught, except in Japan, where the meat is consumed (though considered very inferior to the grey nurse shark) and the liver oil is used.

[5] Discoveries, beginning in the 1970s, of smalltooth sand tigers in shallow water have raised urgent conservation concerns, as this species is apparently more vulnerable to human activity than previously believed.

[14] Populations of this species in the Mediterranean are also believed to have declined, due to a combination of habitat degradation, overfishing, pollution, and human disturbance.