Fun Whitetip Reef Shark Facts For Kids

The whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus) is a benign species of shark that is sleek and slender. They can be easily characterized by the white marks that are present on the tips of many of their fins, especially their first dorsal fin, second dorsal fin, and upper caudal fin.

These white tips are also the reason for their name. This shark is known to be quite a good swimmer that is well adjusted to the reef habitat that it inhabits.

Whitetip reef sharks are relatively small and are grayish-brown in color. They prefer to live in shallow waters with a coral reef habitat and caves and can often be seen swimming low at the bottom of the ocean during the daytime and hunting by night.

They do not need to swim constantly in order to help with their respiration, unlike other sharks. The whitetip shark is known to one of a few requiem sharks, so it does not generally show any sort of aggressive behavior towards humans.

The whitetip reef shark mainly populates many Indo-Pacific areas but it is known to be a Near Threatened species of shark as it is constantly hunted down by humans. Here are some interesting facts about the whitetip reef shark for you to read to find out more about the amazing world under the sea.

If you happen to like our article on whitetip reef sharks, you should check out other similar and great articles about the sandbar shark and the hammerhead shark.
 

Whitetip Reef Shark Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a whitetip reef shark?

The whitetip reef shark is a type of bottom-dwelling shark that inhabits shallow water habitats of coral and rock reefs.

What class of animal does a whitetip reef shark belong to?

Whitetip reef sharks are Chondrichthyes. They are placental viviparous animals, meaning that their embryos are internally fertilized after breeding before they give birth to pups.

How many whitetip reef sharks are there in the world?

The oceanic whitetip shark is known to be the most hunted shark species and it is very popular in the global fin trade. Ruthless hunting of these sharks for human consumption has rendered them helpless with their species becoming officially Near Threatened.

It is not known how many whitetip sharks are still in existence, but if this hunting continues, they are at risk of becoming extinct.

Where does a whitetip reef shark live?

Whitetip sharks usually like inhabiting shallow waters with a coral reef. They are known to populate the Indo-Pacific area and also love hiding in caves. They can also be seen swimming low towards the bottom of the ocean floor when they are hunting or resting.

What is a whitetip reef shark's habitat?

Whitetip reef sharks are a bottom-dwelling species of fish that love inhabiting shallow waters around coral reefs and rock reefs, including sand-covered areas. The ideal whitetip reef shark habitat is a reef with certain configurations like ledges and caves which they mainly use to hide and protect themselves. This species can go as deep as 1,082 ft (330 m).

Who do whitetip reef sharks live with?

Whitetip reef sharks are usually quite social and swim in groups of up to 20 sharks while hunting. Sometimes, they can also be seen laying on top of each other on the ocean floor just to rest.

How long does a whitetip reef shark live?

Whitetip reef sharks live for quite a long time if not hunted down in their own natural whitetip reef shark habitat. Males are known to have a lifespan of 14 years while female whitetip reef sharks can live up to 19 years. They can survive for a maximum lifespan of 25 years.

How do they reproduce?

Male whitetip reef sharks usually achieve sexual maturity when they grow to a length of 3.3 ft (1 m), whereas female whitetips are a tad bit bigger in size when they reach the age of maturity. Both sexes also usually have to reach around five years of age before they can breed.

Their breeding season is subject to change depending on their geographic region and this species is known to be placental viviparous which means that their pups are born after internal fertilization.

Fertilized embryos get all their nourishment from a yolk sac, yolk stalk, umbilical cord, and placenta.

Mother sharks have a gestation period of up to five months and completely nurture their infants during this time. They usually give birth to between one and five pups per litter, but they do not provide any parental support after the gestation period when the pups are born.

What is their conservation status?

The whitetip reef shark is a Near Threatened species of a shark as per the IUCN because of the ruthless hunting of the species for human consumption. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed this species as Vulnerable, due to the steady dwindling of their numbers in recent years.

This reduction in their population is due to an increase in unregulated fishing that takes place in their habitats.

It is also because of their restricted habitat, slow reproduction rate, and low dispersal that have altogether made it impossible for this species of shark to regain its numbers.

However, some measures have been taken to protect this benign species of sharks and they are beginning to have a small impact. Sadly, these sharks are also susceptible to poaching despite the measures taken to protect them because of their high demand in the fishing market.

Whitetip Reef Shark Fun Facts

What do whitetip reef sharks look like?

Whitetip reef sharks possess a sleek uniform body, which is quite short and has a blunt snout, with a broad head that is flattened and has brow ridges that are quite prominent. This species also has oval eyes placed laterally and a down-turned mouth that is semicircular which gives this shark a sour look.

They do tend to have spiracles like other sharks but these are reduced in size or even sometimes absent.

Their fins are quite large as well and they possess pectoral fins, anal fins, a dorsal fin, and an upper fin. The tip of the first dorsal fin, as well as the pointed ends of the caudal fin, have characteristic white-colored markings which is why this shark was given its common name.

Other fins like the first dorsal fin and the second dorsal fin may also bear similar markings.

They also have small gray-colored spots which might be scattered over their bodies. This species can reach a maximum length of up to 7 ft (2.1 m) although growing to this size is rare.

How cute are they?

Since they are quite small compared to other sharks and are benign in nature, they are hardly dangerous, making them one of the cutest species of sharks in the ocean. They almost resemble ocean pups!

How do they communicate?

Not much is known about how these sharks communicate with each other. They are known for sharing caves and occasionally going on hunts together. However, during mating, one important form of communication occurs when the male bites the female's fins.

How big is a whitetip reef shark?

Whitetip sharks can usually reach 5.3-7 ft (1.6-2.1 m) in size. They are relatively small when compared to other species of sharks like tiger sharks which are twice the size of whitetip reef sharks. Female whitetip sharks are bigger than males.  

How fast can a whitetip reef shark swim?

Oceanic whitetip sharks are not known to be very fast swimmers. However, if they feel threatened under certain circumstances, they can show a burst of speed and are capable of swimming quite fast.

How much does a whitetip reef shark weigh?

Whitetip reef sharks usually weigh up to 40.3 lb (18.3 kg).

What are their male and female names of the species?

Male and female whitetips do not have any specific name to differentiate between the two sexes. They are merely referred to as a male whitetip or a female whitetip.

What would you call a baby whitetip reef shark?

Baby whitetip sharks are referred to as pups and in a litter, there are usually between one and five pups born after the gestation period is over. They learn to fend for themselves immediately after birth.

What do they eat?

Whitetip sharks usually feed on bony fish like oarfish, lancetfish, barracudas, red rock crabs, dolphinfish, jacks, marlin, mackerel, and tuna. They also eat pelagic cephalopods and also other ocean-dwelling species like stingrays, threadfins, birds, sea turtles, crustaceans, gastropods, mammalian carrion, and the like.

They usually feed by swimming through schools of fish like tuna, keeping their mouth open as they travel through the school. Around other shark species, this shark tends to show aggression.

Are they dangerous?

The oceanic whitetip shark is known to be a benign species of shark which do not pose any direct threat to human life. However, they are large and powerful so they can still be quite dangerous as well.

Although they are not naturally aggressive to humans, they can be quite aggressive towards humans if they feel threatened or if humans try to steal their catch.

There have sadly been reported human fatalities at the hands of these sharks as well. This species is also related to ciguatera poisoning as a result of the consumption of its meat.

Would they make a good pet?

Despite being a fairly small and gentle species of sharks in the ocean, they would not make a good pet. Sharks are high maintenance and cannot really be kept as pets. This species of shark, in particular, will need extra care because their survival depends on their preferred choice of habitat.

Did you know...

The whitetip reef shark species is not a territorial shark species as it has been seen sharing its caves with other sharks.

In Hawaii, this species of shark is considered to be a guardian spirit, named 'Aumakua', and is held in high regard.

Whitetip sharks can detect electrical charges from a significant distance. They use this when catching prey. The exact distance from which they can detect these charges is currently unknown.

Whitetip reef shark attacks

Whitetips are rarely aggressive towards humans but they do examine swimmers with caution. There have been quite a few reported attacks by this species and sadly there have been reported fatalities where these sharks have attacked survivors of a shipwreck.

The whitetip reef shark vs. the oceanic whitetip

Although they share a similar name and somewhat similar features, the oceanic whitetip shark and the whitetip reef shark belong to different genera. The oceanic whitetip can grow up to a maximum length of 13 ft (4 m), whereas the whitetip reef shark reaches a maximum size of 6.8 ft (2 m).

Oceanic whitetips are pelagic as they prefer living in the open ocean whereas whitetip reef sharks prefer the comfort of the reefs.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these nurse shark facts and basking shark facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Whitetip reef shark coloring pages.