Whitetip Reef Shark | Oceana
Home / Whitetip Reef Shark

Marine Life Encyclopedia

Sharks & Rays

Whitetip Reef Shark

Triaenodon obesus

Distribution

Indian and Pacific Oceans in tropical and subtropical waters

ECOSYSTEM/HABITAT

Coastal waters and coral reefs

FEEDING HABITS

Active predator

TAXONOMY

Class Chondrichthyes, Order Carcharhiniforms (ground sharks), Family Carcharhinidae (requiem sharks)

The whitetip reef shark is a slim, medium-sized shark characterized by its white-tipped dorsal and tail fins that give this species its name. Whitetip reef sharks are known for using their slender bodies to maneuver through caves and crevices throughout their coral reef habitats in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

The whitetip reef shark is a common and broadly distributed species. They are nocturnal, spending their nights hunting and their days resting in reef caves or sandy bottoms with large groups of fellow whitetips. Whitetip reef sharks live communally in small home ranges anywhere from 0.2 to 1.8 miles (0.3 to 3 km). In caves, whitetip reef sharks pile on top of each other like logs, lying motionless for hours because this species does not need to move to breathe. They often return to the same home cave for days or weeks at a time, sometimes longer.

Whitetip reef sharks grow to an average length of 5.3 feet (1.6 m). The maximum weight ever recorded was 40.3 pounds (18.3 kg) and the maximum length ever recorded was 7 feet (2.1 m). Whitetip reef sharks mate via internal fertilization and give birth to one to five pups per litter. They reach sexual maturity at the relatively late age of 8 years and live until the maximum age of at least 25 years.

At night, whitetip reef sharks become active and hunt for bottom-dwelling prey hiding in coral reef holes and crevices. Whitetip reef sharks feed primarily on octopuses, crustaceans and reef fish, including eels, snappers, parrotfish and triggerfish. As a hunting method, whitetip reef sharks sometimes chase and trap their prey in crevices where they can easily jam their slim bodies and snouts to catch it. Like all sharks, whitetip reef sharks rely on electroreceptors in their snouts to detect the electrical charges of nearby prey. Although they are formidable predators, whitetip reef sharks are preyed upon by larger fish, such as tiger sharks and giant grouper.

Whitetip reef sharks are also vulnerable to predation from humans. They are fished commercially using line and trawl nets for tropical markets. Once abundant, whitetip reef shark numbers depleted noticeably from 1985 to 2005 due to overfishing in certain areas. Their shallow water habitats (33 to 131 feet/10 to 40 m) have made them susceptible to becoming bycatch in gillnet and longline fisheries, as well.3 Whitetip reef sharks are considered near threatened with extinction due to their small litter size, late age of maturity and coral reef habitat loss. Without proper, enforced fisheries management, this species may become threatened with extinction.

Get Involved

Donate Today

SUPPORT OUR WORK TO PROTECT THE OCEANS BY GIVING TODAY

With the support of more than 1 million activists like you, we have already protected nearly 4 million square miles of ocean.

Donate Now

TAKE ACTION NOW

Support policy change for the oceans

Decision-makers need to hear from ocean lovers like you. Make your voice heard!

Sign Now

VISIT OUR ADOPTION CENTER

SYMBOLICALLY ADOPT AN ANIMAL TODAY

Visit our online store to see all the ocean animals you can symbolically adopt, either for yourself or as a gift for someone else.

Shop Today

DOWNLOAD OCEAN ACTIVITIES

HELP KIDS DISCOVER OUR BLUE PLANET

Our free KELP (Kids Environmental Lesson Plans) empower children to learn about and protect our oceans!

Learn More

FEATURED CAMPAIGN

Save the Oceans, Feed the World

We are restoring the world’s wild fish populations to serve as a sustainable source of protein for people.

Learn More

More Campaigns

Protect Habitat

Bycatch

Plastics

View All

CONTACT

Oceana International Headquarters
1025 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036 USA

General Inquiries
+1(202)-833-3900
info@oceana.org

Donation Inquiries
+1(202)-833-3900
wavemaker@oceana.org

Press Inquiries
+1(202)-833-3900
press@oceana.org

OCEANA'S EFFICIENCY

BECOME A WAVEMAKER

Sign up today to get weekly updates and action alerts from Oceana.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT WITH A DONATION

We have already protected over 4 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea life - but there is still more to be done.

Donate Now

QUICK LINKS: