Silvertip shark

The silvertip shark is a bold, powerfully built reef shark named for the crisp white edges on every fin. It can grow up to 3 metres long, and divers often meet it patrolling drop-offs near remote islands.

Also known as: carcharhinus albimarginatus, oceanic whitetip shark, shark, silver-tip reef shark, silver-tip shark, white fin, whitetip reef shark

It is easily confused with the grey reef shark, which shares its range and shape. The clear giveaway is the fin edging: the silvertip has bright white tips and margins on every fin, including the tail, while the grey reef shark's fins are dark-tipped instead.

This shark has a robust, streamlined body with a broad snout and large round eyes. Its first dorsal fin is tall and triangular, and its pectoral fins are long and sickle-shaped with pointed tips. The body is blue-grey above with a faint bronze sheen and white below, with a pale band along the sides. Every fin carries a clean white tip and edge. It commonly reaches about 2 metres in length and can weigh up to 162 kg.

It ranges widely but patchily across the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans, and into the eastern Pacific off Central and South America. It lives over continental and island shelves at depths from near the surface down to 800 metres, usually below about 20 metres, and is most often seen around isolated islands, coral banks, and reef drop-offs. Young sharks stay in shallow coastal lagoons, while adults move into deeper water.

This shark is mobile but shows loyalty to certain areas, and it is usually seen alone or in pairs. It behaves aggressively toward other silvertips, and many carry scars from these clashes. It can dominate similarly sized Galapagos and blacktip sharks over food, sometimes joins mixed groups with grey reef sharks, and is often trailed by pilot fish. If it feels threatened by a diver, it may perform a warning display: charging closer, turning side-on, dropping its pectoral fins, opening its jaws, and lowering the back half of its body.

It feeds mainly on bony fish such as grouper, mackerel, tuna, and wahoo, and occasionally takes eagle rays, smaller sharks, octopus, and squid. Its differently shaped upper and lower teeth let it grip and saw off chunks of larger prey. It sometimes dashes into groups of other feeding sharks to steal a meal.

generally not aggressive but bold and inquisitive — observe with respect

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  Blacktip reef shark

  Carcharhinus melanopterus

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  Blue shark

  Prionace glauca

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  Bull shark

  Carcharhinus leucas

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  Grey Reef Shark

  Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos

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  Lemon Shark

  Negaprion brevirostris

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  Oceanic Blacktip Shark

  Carcharhinus limbatus