The whitetip reef shark is a small shark species, measuring approximately 3.3 to 5.2 feet in length, and is recognizable by the white tips on its first dorsal fin and tail.

The coral shark inhabits the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans. It is found in coral reefs and lagoons around numerous islands and along coastlines, including:

• in the Indian ocean: the Maldives, Seychelles, Mayotte, Madagascar, Réunion island, the Scattered islands, Mauritius and the eastern coasts of Africa
• in the Pacific ocean: the Hawaiian islands, Galapagos islands, Clipperton island, Wallis and Futuna, French Polynesia, Micronesia, Pitcairn islands, Fiji islands, Solomon islands, New Caledonia, the Philippines, Indonesia and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia

The whitetip reef shark inhabits the shallow waters of coral reefs and lagoons.

The whitetip reef shark feeds on fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods, which it hunts primarily at night.

The whitetip reef shark is listed as many other marine species within The IUCN Red List of threatened species. The whitetip reef shark appears in the IUCN Red List since 2020 within the category Vulnerable !