Whitetip reef shark: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the whitetip reef shark lives – recorded in 15 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Triaenodon obesus
Group	Sharks
Status	Vulnerable (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	15 countries
Continents	Asia, North America, Oceania, South America
Class	Cartilaginous fish
Order	Carcharhiniformes
Family	Carcharhinidae

Where does the whitetip reef shark live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the whitetip reef shark in 15 countries and territories across Asia, North America, Oceania and South America. Wikidata gives its range as: New Guinea. In Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, French Polynesia, United States it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

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 whitetip reef shark endangered?

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

What kind of animal is the whitetip reef shark?

The whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus) is a cartilaginous fish in the order Carcharhiniformes and the family Carcharhinidae, genus Triaenodon. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the whitetip reef shark

The whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus) is a species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae. It is the only extant species of genus Triaenodon. A small shark that does not usually exceed 1.6 m (5.2 ft) in length, this species is easily recognizable by its slender body and short but broad head, as well as tubular skin flaps beside the nostrils, oval eyes with vertical pupils, and white-tipped dorsal and caudal fins. One of the most common sharks found on Indo-Pacific coral reefs, the whitetip reef shark occurs as far west as South Africa and as far east as Central America. It is typically found on or near the bottom in clear water, at a depth of 8–40 m (26–131 ft).

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Whitetip reef shark (revision 1366793850), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q695344 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).