Oceanic whitetip shark
Carcharhinus longimanus
- Scientific name
- Carcharhinus longimanus
- Group
- Sharks & Rays
- Rarity
- Epic
- Where to see it
- Indo-Pacific & Red Sea
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Critically endangered
Did you know?
The oceanic whitetip shark, once one of the most abundant sharks in the open ocean, is easily recognized by its large, rounded, white-tipped pectoral fins. Its populations have collapsed by more than 90% in some regions due to shark finning.
What defines this group — Sharks & Rays
The cartilaginous fish: not a single bone in the body, a skeleton made entirely of cartilage.
- A cartilage skeleton, lighter and more flexible than bone.
- No gill cover: five to seven gill slits open on the sides or underneath.
- Pores on the snout — the ampullae of Lorenzini — pick up the electric field of prey.
Other species in this group
- Common stingray
- Blacktip reef shark
- Small-spotted catshark
- Common torpedo ray
- Bluespotted ribbontail ray
- Thornback ray