At-A-Glance
Scientific Name: Carcharhinus longimanus
Size: They can reach up to 13’ in length, but most adults never exceed 10’. An average specimen is around 6-8’ and weighs around 80-150 pounds.
Habitat: Oceanic Whitetips live primarily in open water, and are found in most subtropical and tropical regions of the world. They migrate throughout the open ocean and are usually found within the upper part of the water column.
Diet: Whitetips are known foragers, and most often prey upon other pelagic fish like tuna, barracuda, and marlin. In some locations they are known to eat other prey, such as seabirds, turtles, and squid.
Reproduction: Whitetips are viviparous meaning that they give birth to live young, with litters usually between 5 and 15 pups. Sexual maturity in Whitetips takes about 6-7 years to reach, and happens when the individual reaches around 6’ in length.
IUCN Listing: Critically Endangered
Protection: Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the United States, they are listed as threatened, and therefore protected. They are also protected in some other countries worldwide, like New Zealand, where they have been protected by the Wildlife Act since 1978.
Bet You Didn’t Know…
- While the oceanic whitetip can be identified by blotchy white tips on its dorsal, tail, and pectoral fins, it also has black tips on its anal fin and the undersides of its pelvic fins.
- They are solitary and slow swimmers.Oceanic Whitetip Sharks are not usually daytime hunters! They do most of their hunting nocturnally, but will not pass up an opportunity to feed during daytime hours.
- Whitetips used to be amongst the 3 most abundant shark species in the world, but have since become Critically Endangered because they are targeted for their large fins.
- Like many shark species, they are RAM ventilators, which means that they have to move to breathe. If they stop moving, they will suffocate due to lack of oxygenated water moving over their gills.
- The largest recorded Oceanic Whitetip was almost 14’ in length, a rare anomaly for the species, which usually doesn’t grow to over 10’.
Ready To Dive In?
Cat Island, Bahamas: April to June
Elphinstone Reef, Red Sea: October to December
Science In The Spotlight
Since oceanic whitetips are widespread, it’s challenging to identify undiscovered aspects of their life history and behavior. During a week-long expedition at Cat Island, Bahamas, researchers noticed a group of three female oceanic whitetips swimming together in an evenly spaced straight-line formation, with the largest female in the middle. Since oceanic whitetips are usually solitary and only come together to mate, the researchers predicted that this new social behavior might be related to mating or competition. Read full article.