Silvertip Shark
Carcharhinus albimarginatus
The silvertip is a large requiem shark (family Carcharhinidae) with a patchy range across the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans. It frequently turns up near offshore islands and coral reefs and has been recorded diving as deep as 800 m (2,600 ft). In shape it recalls a heavier, bulkier grey reef shark, but the bold white edging on its fins sets it apart at a glance. Maximum length is around 3 m (10 ft).
Family
Carcharhinidae
Avg Size
200-250 cm
Habitat
Distribution is broad but broken across the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans. In the western Indian Ocean it ranges from the Red Sea to South Africa, taking in Madagascar, the Seychelles, the Aldabra Group, Mauritius, and the Chagos Archipelago. In the western Pacific it occurs from southern Japan to northern Australia, including Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Guam, Palau, the Solomon Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Phoenix Islands, and Tahiti. In the eastern Pacific it is found from southern Baja California to Colombia, including the Cocos, Galapagos, and Revillagigedo Islands.
Behaviour
The silvertip's diet is built mainly on bony fish such as grouper, mackerel, tuna, bonito, lanternfish, flyingfish, escolar, bananafish, wahoo, wrasses, and soles, with eagle rays, smaller sharks, octopus, and squid taken now and then. Larger individuals tend to be more sluggish and lean more toward bottom-dwelling prey. Differently shaped teeth in the upper and lower jaws let it handle large prey, gripping and sawing off chunks of flesh with violent twisting movements. It has also been seen circling the edges of feeding groups of other shark species, darting in occasionally to snatch a meal.
