Blacktip reef shark
Carcharhinus melanopterus
Oceanic whitetip shark
Carcharhinus longimanus
About
The oceanic whitetip shark is a large, powerful shark of the open ocean, growing to about 270 cm on average and up to 400 cm. It is instantly recognisable by its huge, rounded, white-tipped fins.
Also known as: carcharhinus longimanus, brown milbert's sand bar shark, brown shark, nigano shark, oceanic white tip shark, oceanic white-tip shark, oceanic white-tipped whaler, shark, silvertip shark, white-tip shark, whitetip, whitetip shark, whitetip whaler
- Length
- 2.7 m · max 4 m
- Weight
- max 167 kg
- Depth
- 0–152 m
- Temperature
- 18–28 °C
How to tell it apart
It can be confused with the silky shark, but no other open-ocean shark combines such large, rounded fins with white tips - that combination confirms an oceanic whitetip.
Appearance
This shark has long, wing-like pectoral and dorsal fins with rounded tips, much bigger than those of most other sharks. Its snout is rounded and its eyes are round, with a protective inner eyelid. The body is grey-bronze on top and white below, and most fins carry a white tip, sometimes mottled, with a faint saddle-shaped patch between the first and second dorsal fins.
Habitat
This shark ranges through open, deep ocean worldwide, favouring warm water between about 18 and 28 degrees Celsius. It usually stays in the upper 152 metres of the water column, though it can dive to around 230 metres, and prefers areas far from land over shallow coastal water.
Behaviour
The oceanic whitetip is usually solitary, though several may gather where food is plentiful. It swims by day and night, typically cruising slowly near the surface, but moves faster and dives deeper in warmer summer conditions. It has even been seen breaching clear of the water, much like a whale. It is an active, bold shark, known to swim straight into schools of fish with its mouth open to feed.
Is it dangerous?
potentially dangerous — bold in open water; observe with caution
Conservation
The oceanic whitetip is critically endangered. It is mainly threatened by fishing, both as a deliberate catch and as accidental bycatch on longlines, hook-lines, gillnets, and trawls, hunted for its fins and meat. Its numbers have fallen sharply across every ocean it lives in.
Did you know?
In 1969, scientists described the oceanic whitetip as perhaps the most abundant large animal on Earth - a title it has since lost to heavy fishing pressure.
Log it in Into the Blue
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