‹ Fish Finder· #098
Whitetip Reef Shark
Triaenodon obesus
Bislamasak— names this kind of animal, not this species alone
- Group
- Shark & ray
- Habitat
- Reef crevice
- Max size
- 2.1 m
- Depth
- 8-40 m
- Family
- Carcharhinidae
The whitetip reef shark is a species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae. It is the only extant species of genus Triaenodon. A small shark that does not usually exceed 1.6 m (5.2 ft) in length, this species is easily recognizable by its slender body and short but broad head, as well as tubular skin flaps beside the nostrils, oval eyes with vertical pupils, and white-tipped dorsal and caudal fins. One of the most common sharks found on Indo-Pacific coral reefs, the whitetip reef shark occurs as far west as South Africa and as far east as Central America. It is typically found on or near the bottom in clear water, at a depth of 8–40 m (26–131 ft).
Adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Easily confused with
Side by side, with what tells them apart.
Whitetip Reef Shark is slim, with a short, broad, flattened head and bright white tips on its first dorsal fin and the top of its tail. By day it rests on the bottom in caves, which it can do because it pumps water over its gills. Grey Reef Shark must keep swimming to breathe; it is stockier, has no white tips in the Pacific, and has a broad black band along the rear edge of its tail.
See the Grey Reef Shark →
Both spend the day lying on the bottom in caves and under ledges. Tawny Nurse Shark is brown and heavy, with a pair of barbels at the nostrils, a small mouth, both dorsal fins set far back and a long tail with almost no lower lobe; it grows past 3 m. Whitetip Reef Shark is slim and grey, with bright white tips on its first dorsal fin and upper tail lobe.
See the Tawny Nurse Shark →