Its large, rounded fins featuring distinctive white markings make it an easily recognizable species of large pelagic shark. The white tips of its dorsal, pectoral, and caudal fins provide a stark contrast against its brownish-grey to bluish-grey body, helping to identify the shark from a distance.
These sharks can grow to considerable lengths, with average sizes ranging from 1.8 to 2.5 meters (5.9 to 8.2 feet), and the largest individuals measuring over 3 meters (9.8 feet) and weighing up to 170 kilograms (370 pounds). Their bulky body and broad, paddle-like pectoral fins are designed for sustained, energy-efficient cruising through open waters, allowing them to exploit a vast range that spans both tropical and temperate oceans.
Oceanic whitetip sharks are largely solitary animals known to cover vast stretches of the ocean in search of food. They are primarily aquatic, living in the open sea rather than near the seafloor, and are often found near the surface in deep offshore waters. This shark’s pelagic lifestyle is facilitated by its ability to utilize ocean currents and temperature gradients to their advantage, aiding their navigation and hunting.
As opportunistic feeders, they have a varied diet that includes cephalopods, bony fish, and occasionally crustaceans. They have also been observed feeding on carrion and the bycatch from fishing vessels. One of the oceanic whitetip’s more noted behaviors is their association with pilot fish, which often accompany the sharks, feeding on parasites and scraps of their host’s meals.
Despite their robust size and formidable appearance, oceanic whitetips have declined significantly in numbers due to overfishing and the demand for their fins, meat, and oil. They are frequently caught as bycatch in longline and gillnet fisheries, which, combined with their slow reproductive rates, makes recovery difficult for their populations. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the oceanic whitetip shark as “Critically Endangered,” with populations decreasing worldwide.
Distribution
Atlantic Ocean
Indian Ocean
Pacific Ocean
Gulf of Mexico
American Samoa
Angola
Anguilla
Antigua & Barbuda
Argentina
Aruba
Australia
Bahamas
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bonaire
Brazil
British Indian T.
British Virgin Is.
Brunei
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
China
Christmas Island
Cocos Is. (Keeling)
Colombia
Comoros
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Cuba
Curaçao
Côte D’ivoire
DR Congo (Kinshasa)
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Fiji
France
French Guiana
French Polynesia
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Israel
Jamaica
Japan
Kenya
Liberia
Macao
Madagascar
Malaysia
Maldives
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Montserrat
Morocco
Myanmar
Nauru
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niue
Nort. Mariana Is.
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Réunion
Saint Barthélemy
Saint Helena
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin
Saint Vincent
Samoa
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Sint Maarten
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
St. Kitts & Nevis
Sudan
Suriname
São Tomé & Príncipe
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad & Tobago
Turks & Caicos
Tuvalu
US Virgin Islands
US Minor Is.
United States
Uruguay
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Vietnam
YemenAnything we've missed?
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Terrestrial / Aquatic
Altricial / Precocial
Polygamous / Monogamous
Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic
Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal
Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Herd
Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore
Migratory: Yes / No
Domesticated: Yes / No
Dangerous: Yes / No
