Idea #361 – Diving with the whitetip reef shark
Shark-coral or whitetip reef shark with points (Triaenodon obesus) must not be confused with whitetip shark of reef (Carcharhinus albimarginatus) or with the longimane shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) is a species common in Red Sea and Indo-Pacifique. It lives generally on the external hillsides of reefs in depths between the surface and about forty meters. In the day, it is not rare that this shark rests, put on the sand or in a cave. It is generally 1 meter in 1,5 meters, for about fifteen kilos, the observed maximal size being 2,10 meters. The back of the shark coral is brown grey, and the stomach is grey pale or silvery. The extremities of both dorsal fins and caudal fin are white. This shark possesses on average 3000 teeth, each of them being generally renewed every three days. Its flexibility allows it to sneak through the sharp branches of certain corals, without undergoing any scratch. This shark feeds especially on animals of type benthos as fishes, shellfish and octopuses, whom it hunts generally of night. Of nature stay-at-home and shy, the shark coral is harmless for the divers.
Some Pictures
Where is it ?
Maldives