Whitetip Reef Shark, Triaenodon obesus (Rüppell 1837)

Other Names: Blunthead Shark, Whitetip Shark, White-tip Shark, White-tipped Reef Shark

Summary:

This small slender grey shark becoming paler below, with white tips on the first dorsal fin and upper caudal-fin lobe, and sometimes on the second dorsal fin and lower caudal-fin lobe. The short snout is very broad, and the second dorsal-fin is almost equal in size to the first dorsal fin.

These mostly nocturnal sharks spend much of the day resting in caves, under ledges or on sandy patches out in the open. At dusk they actively hunt, often entering caves and crevices in search of fishes, octopus, lobsters and crabs.

Cite this page as:

Dianne J. Bray, Triaenodon obesus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 08 Dec 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/1967

Whitetip Reef Shark, Triaenodon obesus (Rüppell 1837)

More Info

Distribution	Point Quobba, Western Australia and Ashmore Reef, Timor Sea, to Moreton Bay, Queensland and reefs in the Coral Sea; also Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean. Elsewhere the species is widespread in the tropical, Indo-Pacific. Inhabits clear coral reefs, often resting in caves, under ledges or on sandy patches during the day.
Features	Snout very short and broad; Second dorsal fin almost equal in size to first dorsal fin.
Size	Although the maximum total length is about 2 metres, individuals rarely attain a length of more than 160 cm TL.
Feeding	Carnivore - typically feeds on fishes, cephalopod molluscs and crustaceans.
Biology	Whitetip Reef Sharks mature at a length of about 105 cm. Females produce litters of 1-5 pups, born at lengths of 52-60 cm after a gestation period of at least five months. Individuals may attain sexual maturity may after 8-9 years and the life span is about 16 years.
Species Citation	Carcharias obesus Rüppell 1837, Fische des Rothen Meeres 3: 64, pl. 18(2). Type locality: Djedda, Red Sea.
Author	Dianne J. Bray
Resources	Australian Faunal Directory

Whitetip Reef Shark, Triaenodon obesus (Rüppell 1837)

References

Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls.

Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.

Allen, G.R. & W.F. Smith-Vaniz, 1994. Fishes of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Atoll Res. Bull. 412: 21 p.

Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene, 1988. Fishes of Christmas Island Indian Ocean. Christmas Island Natural History Association, Christmas Island, Indian Ocean, 6798, Australia. 197 p.

Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls.

Coleman, N. 1981. Australian Sea Fishes North of 30°S. Lane Cove, NSW : Doubleday Australia Pty Ltd 297 pp.

Compagno, L.J.V. 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Sharks of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125. Rome : FAO Vol. 4(2) 251-655 pp.

Compagno, L.J.V. & Niem, V.H. 1998. Family Carcharhinidae. pp. 1312-1360 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 2 687-1396 pp.

Compagno, L.J.V., Dando, M. & Fowler, S. 2005. A Field Guide to the Sharks of the World. London : Collins 368 pp.

Frisch AJ, Ireland M, Rizzari JR, Lönnstedt OM, Magnenat KA, Mirbach CE, Hobbs J-PA (2016) Reassessing the trophic role of reef sharks as apex predators on coral reefs. Coral Reefs 35(2): 459–472. DOI:10.1007/s00338-016-1415-2 Abstract

Gloerfelt-Tarp, T. & P.J. Kailola, 1984. Trawled fishes of southern Indonesia and northwestern Australia. Australian Development Assistance Bureau, Australia, Directorate General of Fishes, Indonesia, and German Agency for Technical Cooperation, Federal Republic of Germany. 407 p.

Grant, E.M. 1975. Guide to Fishes. Brisbane : Queensland Government, Co-ordinator General’s Department 640 pp. (as Triaenodon apicalis)

Grant, E.M. 2002. Guide to Fishes. Redcliffe : EM Grant Pty Ltd 880 pp.

Gray, J.E. 1851. List of the Specimens of Fish in the Collection of the British Museum. Chondropterygii. London : British Museum 160 pp., 2 pls.

Johnson, J.W. 2010. Fishes of the Moreton Bay Marine Park and adjacent continental shelf waters, Queensland, Australia. pp. 299-353 in Davie, P.J.F. & Phillips, J.A. Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Marine Biological Workshop, The Marine Fauna and Flora of Moreton Bay. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 54(3)

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Canberra : CSIRO Australia 513 pp. 84 pls.

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 2009. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing Australia 2, 550 pp.

Randall, J.E. 1977. Contribution to the biology of the whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus). Pacific Science 31(2): 143-164 figs 1-11

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs.

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs.

Rüppell, W.P.E. 1837. Neue Wirbelthiere zu der Fauna von Abyssinien gehörig. Fische des Rothen Meeres. Frankfurt Vol. 3, pp. 53–80, pls 15–21.

Russell, B.C. & W. Houston, 1989. Offshore fishes of the Arafura Sea. The Beagle 6(1): 69-84.

Smale, M.J. 2005. Triaenodon obesus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2005: e.T39384A10188990. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2005.RLTS.T39384A10188990.en. Downloaded on 18 November 2016.

Stead, D.G. 1963. Sharks and Rays of Australian Seas. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 211 pp. 63 figs. (as Triaenodon apicalis)

Tricas, T.C. & E.M. LeFeuvre. 1985. Mating in the reef white-tip shark, Triaenodon obesus. Marine Biology 84: 233-237.

Whitley, G.P. 1939. Taxonomic notes on sharks and rays. The Australian Zoologist 9(3): 227-262 figs 1-18 pls 20-22 (as Triaenodon apicalis)

Whitley, G.P. 1940. The Fishes of Australia. Part 1. The sharks, rays, devil-fish, and other primitive fishes of Australia and New Zealand. Sydney : Roy. Zool. Soc. N.S.W. 280 pp. 303 figs.(as Triaenodon apicalis)