One of the 26 sharks on WAnimals
Cartilaginous fish · Carcharhiniformes · Carcharhinidae
Carcharhinus longimanus
At extremely high risk of imminent extinction in the wild.
It was once one of the most abundant open-ocean sharks on the planet. Sustained overfishing worldwide has cut its populations by more than 90%.
Weight
100 kg – 167 kg
Size
3 m – 4 m
Life expectancy
23 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Irregular activity
Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
AI-generated images: illustrations, not photographs.
Sources consulted: ResearchGate (biology ecology review) · Marine Biology Research (Western North Pacific life history study) · Shark Angels · Save Our Seas Foundation · NOAA Fisheries · AnAge (genomics.senescence.info) · Animal Diversity Web · FishBase · Frontiers in Marine Science (bomb radiocarbon study)
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented — showing 20 of 26.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Oceanic Whitetip Shark — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
The oceanic whitetip shark is classified as critically endangered. Organisations such as the IUCN, WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programmes is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 17 protected areas — one reason why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Based on what we already know about oceanic whitetip shark.
The pins mark the parks and dive sites where its presence is documented.
