Sealife guideThe whitetip reef sharkTriaenodon obesus

Last updated on 01/23/2025 at 11:50 PM

Taxonomy

Common name: Whitetip reef shark
French name: Requin corail, requin de recif à pointes blanches, Requin à pointes blanches du lagon
Spanish name: Tiburón coralero ñato
Scientific name: Triaenodon obesus (Rüppell, 1837)
Family name: Carcharhinidae
Order name: Carcharhiniformes
Class name: Elasmobranchii

Description

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 whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus) © Ethan Daniels | Dreamstime.com

Geographic range

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

Habitat

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

Diet

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

Did you know ?

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 !

Within the same family

Blacknose shark
(Carcharhinus acronotus)

Blue shark
(Prionace glauca)

Copper shark
(Carcharhinus brachyurus)

Galapagos shark
(Carcharhinus galapagensis)

Lemon shark
(Negaprion brevirostris)

Oceanic whitetip shark
(Carcharhinus longimanus)

Sandbar shark
(Carcharhinus plumbeus)

Silvertip shark
(Carcharhinus albimarginatus)

Discover also

Blind shark
(Brachaelurus waddi)

Common angelshark
(Squatina squatina)

Leopard catshark
(Poroderma pantherinum)

Leopard shark
(Triakis semifasciata)

Ornate wobbegong
(Orectolobus ornatus)

Pyjama shark
(Poroderma africanum)

Scalloped hammerhead
(Sphyrna lewini)

Short fin mako
(Isurus oxyrinchus)

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