Oceanic Whitetip Shark

Carcharhinus longimanus

A large requiem shark of the open ocean, the oceanic whitetip ranges across the pelagic zone of tropical and warm temperate seas. Its thickset body and distinctive long, rounded fins tipped in white make it unmistakable. The species generally travels alone, although individuals can converge in numbers wherever food is abundant. Its diet centres on bony fish and cephalopods, and females bear live young.

Family

Carcharhinidae

Avg Size

200-300 cm

Habitat

The species occurs worldwide between roughly 45 degrees north and 43 degrees south. It favours deep, open water warmer than 18 degrees Celsius (64 degrees Fahrenheit), preferring temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) and up to 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit), though it tolerates water as cool as 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit) and avoids anything colder. Once one of the most abundant and widely spread sharks, it still ranges in a broad band around the globe, but recent research points to a sharp drop in its numbers. Most of its time is spent in the upper ocean, down to about 150 m (490 ft), in offshore, deep-water areas.

Behaviour

Usually a solitary swimmer, the oceanic whitetip will nonetheless assemble where food is plentiful, and it remains active by both day and night. It typically cruises slowly near the surface in open water, though in summer, when surface waters warm, it moves faster and dives deeper. Individuals have even been seen breaching clear of the water like a whale. Its prey is dominated by pelagic cephalopods such as squid and by bony fish including lancetfish, threadfins, oarfish, barracuda, jacks, mahi-mahi, marlin, tuna, and mackerel.

Where & When to See It

White Knight

Oceanic Whitetip Shark

Where & When to See It

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