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Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus) click here.
Whitetip Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus)
All images and text on this
page are copyright protected: © 2010 Kelvin Aitken.
All rights reserved. Students may use this information for
personal research only. Not for commercial use.
Not to be confused with the Oceanic Whitetip, the Whitetip
Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus) is probably the most common
shark encountered by divers and snorkelers on tropical reefs.
While it has the potential to give a serious bite if molested,
baited or provoked, the Whitetip Reef Shark is generally considered
to be harmless to humans.
This shark is easily identified by its small, broad and flattened
head. The protective ridges above its eyes give it the appearance
of having a permanenent scowl. A white tip is present on the
first and sometimes on the second dorsal fin as well as the
tail lobes. Its body is dark grey, sometimes with small, dark
scattered spots, becoming lighter on the flanks to blend with
a white belly.
During the day this shark can be found resting on the seabed,
either in the open, under a ledge or in caves within a loose
territorial area. The Whitetip Reef Shark is one of the few
sharks seen while mating. The male lays alongside the female
and grasps her pectoral fins firmly in his mouth. As the pair
lie vertically in the water with their heads on the coral
reef, he inserts one clasper into her genital opening. Tawny
Nurse Sharks have been photographed mating in a similar manner.
During the night the normally docile Whitetip Reef sharks
become very active searching out fish, octopuses, cuttlefish,
crabs and lobsters. Their tough hide, slender body, blunt
snout and protective eye ridges enable them to move and hunt
in very confined spaces within the reef.
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