‹ Fish Finder· #096
Grey Reef Shark
Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos
Bislamasak— names this kind of animal, not this species alone
- Group
- Shark & ray
- Habitat
- Reef
- Max size
- 2.6 m
- Depth
- 0-280 m
- Family
- Carcharhinidae
The grey reef shark or gray reef shark is a species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae. One of the most common reef sharks in the Indo-Pacific, it is found as far east as Easter Island and as far west as South Africa. This species is most often seen in shallow water near the drop-offs of coral reefs. It has the typical "reef shark" shape, with a broad, round snout and large eyes. It can be distinguished from similar species by the plain or white-tipped first dorsal fin, the dark tips on the other fins, the broad, black rear margin on the tail fin, and the lack of a ridge between the dorsal fins. Most individuals are less than 1.88 m (6.2 ft) long.
Adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Easily confused with
Side by side, with what tells them apart.
Blacktip Reef Shark has a crisp black tip on every fin, most striking on the first dorsal fin, where a pale band sets it off, and a white band runs forward along its flank from above the anal fin. It keeps to shallow flats, often with its dorsal fin out of the water. Grey Reef Shark has a plain grey first dorsal fin and a broad black band along the whole rear edge of its tail, and stays deeper, along the drop-offs.
See the Blacktip Reef Shark →
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 Whitetip Reef Shark →