Oceanic whitetip shark: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the Oceanic whitetip shark lives – recorded in 28 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Carcharhinus longimanus
Group	Sharks
Status	Critically endangered (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	28 countries
Continents	Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America
Class	Cartilaginous fish
Order	Carcharhiniformes
Family	Carcharhinidae

Where does the Oceanic whitetip shark live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Oceanic whitetip shark in 28 countries and territories across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America. Wikidata gives its range as: Brazil, New Guinea.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the Oceanic whitetip shark endangered?

The Oceanic whitetip shark’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Critically endangered” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the Oceanic whitetip shark?

The Oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) is a cartilaginous fish in the order Carcharhiniformes and the family Carcharhinidae, genus Carcharhinus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Oceanic whitetip shark

The oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) is a large requiem shark inhabiting the pelagic zone of tropical and warm temperate seas. It has a stocky body and iconic elongated rounded fins, with white tips. The species is typically solitary, though they may gather in large numbers at food concentrations. Bony fish and cephalopods are the main components of its diet and females give live birth.

Though slow-moving, the shark is opportunistic and aggressive, and is reputed to be dangerous to shipwreck survivors. The IUCN Red List considers the species to be critically endangered. As with other shark species, the whitetip faces mounting fishing pressure throughout its range, with recent studies show steeply declining populations as they are harvested for their fins and meat.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Oceanic whitetip shark (revision 1377793659), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q318090 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).