Whitetip Reef Shark

Family: Requiem Sharks (Carcharhinidae)
Size: Up to 210 cm (7 ft) | Common: 160 cm (5.2 ft)
Depth: 1 – 40m (3 – 130ft)

Distribution: Widespread Indo-Pacific and Eastern Tropical Pacific (including Gorgona, Malpelo, Cocos, and the Chocó coast).

Identification: A slender, unmistakable shark often found resting on the reef.

• White Tips: As the name clearly implies, the very tips of the first dorsal fin (on its back) and the upper lobe of the caudal fin (tail) appear to be dipped in bright white paint.
• Slender Profile: They feature a distinctively sleek, greyish-brown body paired with a blunt, somewhat flattened snout designed for hunting in crevices.

Behavior: A nocturnal hunter that takes daytime naps.

• Cave Sleepers: Unlike many pelagic sharks that must swim constantly to breathe, Whitetip Reef Sharks can actively pump water over their gills. During the day, they are often found resting motionless on sandy bottoms or piled together inside dark volcanic rocky crevices.
• Night Foraging: At night, they become highly active, using their flexible, slender bodies to wriggle deep into tight reef structures to hunt sleeping fish, octopuses, and crustaceans.