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.

This shark is found worldwide between 45°N and 43°S latitude. It lives in deep, open oceans, with a temperature greater than 18 °C (64 °F), It prefers water temperatures above 20 °C (68 °F), and up to 28 °C (82 °F) but can also be found in waters as cool as 15 °C (59 °F) but avoids temperatures lower than this. It was once extremely common and widely distributed, and still inhabits a wide band around the globe; however, recent studies suggest that its numbers have drastically declined. The shark spends most of its time in the upper layer of the ocean—to a depth of 150 m (490 ft)—and prefers off-shore, deep-ocean areas. According to longline capture data, increasing distance from land correlates to a greater population of sharks. It is sometimes found close to land, in waters as shallow as only 37 m (120 ft) deep, mainly around oceanic islands and narrow continental shelves.

This shark is found worldwide between 45°N and 43°S latitude. It lives in deep, open oceans, with a temperature greater than 18 °C (64 °F), It prefers water temperatures above 20 °C (68 °F), and up to 28 °C (82 °F) but can also be found in waters as cool as 15 °C (59 °F) but avoids temperatures lower than this. It was once extremely common and widely distributed, and still inhabits a wide band around the globe; however, recent studies suggest that its numbers have drastically declined. The shark spends most of its time in the upper layer of the ocean—to a depth of 150 m (490 ft)—and prefers off-shore, deep-ocean areas. According to longline capture data, increasing distance from land correlates to a greater population of sharks. It is sometimes found close to land, in waters as shallow as only 37 m (120 ft) deep, mainly around oceanic islands and narrow continental shelves.

longest observed 22 years.

The oceanic whitetip shark is also known as the brown shark, shipwreck shark, whitetip shark, or lesser white shark. The species was described in 1831 by naturalist René-Primevère Lesson, who named the shark Carcharhinus maou. It was next described by zoologist Felipe Poey in 1861 as Squalus longimanus. The name Pterolamiops longimanus has also been used. The rules of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature are that in general the first-published description has priority; therefore, the valid scientific name for the oceanic whitetip shark should be Carcharhinus maou. However, Lesson's name remained forgotten for so long that Carcharhinus longimanus remains widely accepted. The species epithet longimanus refers to the size of its pectoral fins (longi-manus means "long hands" in Latin). The earliest fossil teeth of this species are known from the Early Miocene of Odisha, India. They are also known from the Pliocene of Italy and Spain. C. longimanus' most distinguishing characteristics are its long, wing-like pectoral and dorsal fins. The fins are significantly larger than most other shark species, and have conspicuously rounded tips. The shark's snout is rounded and its eyes are circular, with nictitating membranes. The species is grey-bronze dorsally and white ventrally, being countershaded. As its name suggests, most of its fins (dorsal, pectoral, pelvic and caudal) have white tips. Along with white tips, the fins may be mottled, and young specimens can have black marks. A saddle-shaped patch may be apparent between first and second dorsal fins. The shark has two morphs of teeth; those in the mandible (lower jaw) are thinner with a serrated tip, while the teeth in the upper jaw are triangular, but much larger and wider with entirely serrated edges. The lower jaw has between 13 and 15 teeth on either half of the jaw, while the upper has 14 or 15 on each half. The denticles are nearly flat and wide, typically have between five and seven ridges. There is little overlap between them, revealing some bare skin. The oceanic whitetip shark is a robust, large-bodied shark. The largest specimen ever caught measured at more than 4 m (13 ft) in length, though they usually grow up to 3 m (10 ft) in length and 150 kg (330 lb) in weight. However, the all-tackle record listed by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) is 167 kg (368 lb) for a 2.2-metre (7.2 ft) long individual, suggesting that weight is likely much more in larger individuals. The female is typically larger than the male by 10 cm (3.9 in). In the Gulf of Mexico in the 1950s, the mean weight of oceanic whitetip sharks was 86.4 kg (190 lb). In the 1990s, the sharks of the species from the same area averaged only 56.1 kg (124 lb).

Oceanic whitetip sharks are mainly threatened by fisheries, sometimes intentional but usually as bycatch. They are victims of longlines, hook-lines, gillnets and trawls. The sharks are used for their fins and meat. It is eaten fresh, smoked, dried, or salted, and its skin made into leather. Bycatching of oceanic whitetip sharks may be reduced by removing hooks from longliners when they are in shallow water. This species may also be threatened by pollution; sharks in the northwest Atlantic have been found to accumulate high amounts of mercury. As of 2019, the IUCN Red List list the oceanic whitetip shark as critically endangered, as their numbers appear to have decreased in every ocean region they inhabit. While their total global population is unknown, they are estimated to have declined by around 98 percent "with the highest probability of >80% reduction over three generation lengths (61.2 years)". In 1969, Lineaweaver and Backus wrote of the oceanic whitetip: "[it is] extraordinarily abundant, perhaps the most abundant large animal, large being over 100 lb (45 kg), on the face of the earth". A study focusing on the northwest Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, using a mix of data from US pelagic longline surveys from the mid-1950s and observations from the late 1990s, estimated a decline in numbers in this location of 99.3% over this period. However, changes in fishing practices and data collection methods complicate estimates. According to a January 2021 study in Nature which studied 31 species of sharks and rays including the oceanic whitetip, the number of these species found in open oceans had dropped by 71 per cent in around 50 years. In March 2013, the oceanic whitetip was added to Appendix II of CITES, which means the species (including parts and derivatives) require CITES permits for international trade. On 30 January 2018, NOAA Fisheries published a final rule to list the oceanic whitetip shark as a threatened species under the United States Endangered Species Act (ESA) (83 FR 4153). From 3 January 2013, the shark was fully protected in New Zealand territorial waters under the Wildlife Act 1953. The New Zealand Department of Conservation has classified the oceanic whitetip shark as "Migrant" with the qualifier "Secure Overseas" under the New Zealand Threat Classification System. On November 27, 2025, CITES CoP20 Parties voted to uplist oceanic whitetip sharks to Appendix I, which, as the highest level of protection offered by CITES, generally prohibits international commercial trade in the species. Eighty-three percent of the vote at CoP20 was in favor of the listing.

The oceanic whitetip shark is also known as the brown shark, shipwreck shark, whitetip shark, or lesser white shark. The species was described in 1831 by naturalist René-Primevère Lesson, who named the shark Carcharhinus maou. It was next described by zoologist Felipe Poey in 1861 as Squalus longimanus. The name Pterolamiops longimanus has also been used. The rules of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature are that in general the first-published description has priority; therefore, the valid scientific name for the oceanic whitetip shark should be Carcharhinus maou. However, Lesson's name remained forgotten for so long that Carcharhinus longimanus remains widely accepted. The species epithet longimanus refers to the size of its pectoral fins (longi-manus means "long hands" in Latin). The earliest fossil teeth of this species are known from the Early Miocene of Odisha, India. They are also known from the Pliocene of Italy and Spain.