Oceanic whitetip shark

The oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) is a large requiem shark that lives in the pelagic zone of tropical and warm temperate seas. It has a strong body and special long, rounded fins with white tips. These sharks usually live alone, but sometimes they come together in big groups when there is lots of food.

They mainly eat bony fish and cephalopods, and females give live birth to their babies. Even though they move slowly, oceanic whitetip sharks can be quite bold and are known to be dangerous to people who are in the water, like shipwreck survivors.

Unfortunately, this shark is now considered critically endangered by the IUCN Red List. Like many other sharks, oceanic whitetip sharks face big problems from fishing. Their numbers are falling fast because people harvest them for their fins and meat.

Taxonomy

The oceanic whitetip shark is also called the brown shark, shipwreck shark, whitetip shark, or lesser white shark.

This shark was first described in 1831 by a scientist named René-Primevère Lesson, who gave it the name Carcharhinus maou. Later, in 1861, a Cuban scientist named Felipe Poey described it again and called it Squalus longimanus. Because Lesson’s name was forgotten for a long time, the name Carcharhinus longimanus is the one most people use today. The name refers to the shark’s big pectoral fins, with longi- meaning “long” and -manus meaning “hands” in Latin.

The oldest known teeth of this shark come from the Early Miocene in Odisha, India, and from the Pliocene in Italy and Spain.

Distribution and habitat

This shark can be found worldwide between 45°N and 43°S latitude. It lives in deep, open oceans where the water is warm, preferring temperatures above 20 °C (68 °F) but can also be found in slightly cooler waters around 15 °C (59 °F).

It usually stays in the upper layer of the ocean, up to 150 meters deep, and likes areas far from land. Sometimes, it can be found closer to shore, especially near oceanic islands and narrow continental shelves.

Description

The oceanic whitetip shark has special long, wing-like fins that stand out from other sharks. These fins have rounded tips and are very noticeable. The shark’s body is a grey-bronze color on top and white on the belly, with white tips on most of its fins. Young sharks may have black marks, and there can be a saddle-shaped patch between the dorsal fins.

These sharks are large and strong, with the biggest ones reaching over 4 meters long. Usually, they grow up to about 3 meters and can weigh around 150 kilograms. Females are often a bit larger than males.

Biology

The oceanic whitetip shark usually likes to be alone, but sometimes groups of them come together when there is lots of food. They swim both day and night, usually moving slowly near the top of the water in open areas. In the summer, when the surface of the ocean is warmer, these sharks swim faster and go deeper.

These sharks eat many kinds of food, including squid and different types of fish such as lancetfish, barracuda, jacks, mahi-mahi, marlin, tuna, and mackerel. They also eat stingrays, sea turtles, seabirds, gastropods, crustaceans, and even dead marine mammals. They have different ways to catch food, such as swimming through schools of tuna with their mouths open. They sometimes follow pilot whales because they both eat squid. These sharks can also get into big feeding groups when there is a lot of food.

Mating and birthing for these sharks seem to happen in early summer in some places, but in others, females can have babies any time of the year. The babies develop inside their mother and are fed by a special sac. After about nine months to one year, the babies are born. In some areas, baby sharks are about 26–30 inches long, while in other places they are smaller. They grow slowly and reach full size between the ages of six and seven. One oceanic whitetip shark was thought to have lived for 22 years.

Relation to humans

For a long time, sailors called sharks "sea dogs," and the oceanic whitetip was the most common type seen near ships. Famous explorer Jacques Cousteau called this shark "the most dangerous of all sharks." Famous writer Ernest Hemingway wrote about them in his book The Old Man and the Sea, showing them as strong sharks that sometimes go after fishermen's catches.

During World War II, some people died after sharks attacked them in the water following ship sinkings. Since then, there have been reports of this shark approaching people in the water. Between 1955 and 2020, there were 21 known meetings with people, including divers, swimmers, and others. Sadly, five of these meetings ended badly. In 2010, a shark near Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, bit several tourists, causing one death and injuries to others. Experts think this shark had learned to expect food from people. In 2019, another shark bit a snorkeler near Mo'orea, French Polynesia, but the person lived.

Some of these sharks have been kept in special tanks for study. One lived at Monterey Bay Aquarium for over three years before passing away in 2003. Others have also been kept in tanks for shorter times.

Conservation status

Oceanic whitetip sharks face big challenges because people catch them in fishing nets and lines, sometimes on purpose and sometimes by accident. Fishermen catch these sharks to use their fins and meat, which people eat in many ways or make into leather. One way to help protect them is by taking away hooks when fishing in shallow water.

In 2019, experts said these sharks are in big trouble, with their numbers dropping a lot in every ocean they live in. Back in 1969, these sharks were thought to be one of the most common large animals on Earth, but now their numbers have fallen sharply.

In March 2013, rules were made to protect the trade of these sharks internationally. In 2018, the United States listed them as a threatened species. New Zealand also protects them in its waters. In November 2025, international voting agreed to give them the highest level of protection to stop most international trade of these sharks.