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Carcharhinus longimanus

(Brown Milbert's Sand Bar Shark)

Overview

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An oceanic deep-water species which sometimes comes close to shore [1]. Found surface to depths of at least 150 m [2]. This is an active , almost fearless shark also charged in human attacks [1]. Probably responsible for many open-ocean attacks after air or sea disasters[3].

Vulnerable

Threat status

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Afrikaans:

Opesee-Wittiphaai

Common Names in Austronesian (Other):

Yeshalifes

Common Names in Carolinian:

Yeshalifes

Common Names in Danish:

Hvidtippet Haj

Common Names in Dutch:

Oceanische Witpunthaai, Witpunthaai

Common Names in English:

Brown Milbert's Sand Bar Shark, Oceanic Whitetip Shark, Brown Shark, Nigano Shark, Oceanic White Tip Shark, Oceanic White-Tip Shark, Oceanic White-Tipped Whaler, Shark, White-Tip Shark, White-tipped Shark, Whitetip, Whitetip Oceanic Shark, Whitetip Shark, Whitetip Whaler

Common Names in Finnish:

Valkopilkkahai

Common Names in French:

Requin Oc?anique, Aileron Blanc Du Large, Rameur, Requin , Requin à Aileron Blanc, Requin à Longues Nageoires, Requin à Nageoires Rondes, Requin à Pointes, Requin Blanc, Requin Canal, Requin Oc, Requin Océan, Requin Océanique

Common Names in German:

Hochsee-Wei, Hochsee-Weißspitzenhai, Langflossen-Hai, Wei, Weißspitzen-Menschenhai, Weißspitzen-Riffhai, Weißspitzenhai

Common Names in Hawaiian:

Manō

Common Names in Italian:

Squalo Alalunga

Common Names in Japanese:

Yogore

Common Names in Jawa:

Cucut Koboy, Hiu Koboy

Common Names in Malay:

Ikan Yu

Common Names in Mandarin Chinese:

大沙, 污斑白眼鮫, 污斑白眼鲛, 長鰭真鯊, 長鰭翼真鯊, 长鳍真鲨, 长鳍翼真鲨

Common Names in Numee:

Kâârrê, KâârrÍ

Common Names in Other:

Pating

Common Names in Polish:

Zarlacz Bialopletwy

Common Names in Portuguese:

Galha-Branca, Marracho, Marracho Oce, Marracho Oceánico, Marracho-De-Pontas-Brancas, Tubar, Tubarão, Tubarão De Pontas Brancas, Tubarão-De-Pontas-Brancas

Common Names in Samoan:

Apoapo

Common Names in Spanish:

Tibur?n Oceanico, Caz, Cazón, Galano, Tibur, Tiburón, Tiburon Negroespinoso, Tiburon Oceanico, Tiburón Pardo

Common Names in Swedish:

Årfenhaj

Common Names in Tagalog:

Pating

Common Names in Tahitian:

Parata

Description

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Physical Description

Species Carcharhinus longimanus

Distinctive Features: The oceanic whitetip shark is easy to distinguish among species belonging to the family Carcharhinidae. This stocky shark has a large rounded first dorsal fin and very long and wide paddle-like pectoral fins. The head of this shark includes a short and bluntly rounded nose and small circular eyes that have nictitating membranes . The first dorsal fin is very large with a rounded tip, originating just in front of the free rear tips of the pectoral fins. The second dorsal fin originates over or slightly in front of the anal fin origin . Possessing broadly rounded tips, the pectoral fins are very large and elongated.

Dentition: The upper jaw contains broad, triangular, serrated teeth, while the teeth in the lower jaw are more pointed and are only serrated near the tip . These teeth, located in powerful jaws , are effective at holding and tearing prey . The arrangement of the teeth is 14 or 15 on each side of the symphysis of the upper jaw and 13-15 teeth on either side of the lower jaw symphysis.

Denticles : The dermal denticles of the oceanic whitetip shark lie almost flat resulting in a smooth to the touch skin . The denticles overlap only slightly with some skin exposed. Usually having 5, but sometimes 6 or 7, ridges , the denticles are broader than long.

Color:

This species is commonly named the oceanic whitetip shark for the whitish-tipped first dorsal, pectoral , pelvic , and caudal fins. These white markings are sometimes accompanied by white mottling on the fins or black markings in young individuals. There may also be a dark saddle-shaped marking present between the first and second dorsal fins. The body of the oceanic whitetip shark is grayish bronze to brown in color, varying depending upon geographical location. The underside is whitish with a yellow tinge on some individuals.

Size/Age/Growth

Oceanic whitetip sharks grow to large sizes, with some individuals reaching 11-13 feet (3.5-4 m ). However, most specimens are less than 10 feet (3 m) in length . The maximum recorded weight for this species is 370 pounds (167.4 kg ). Males mature at 5.7-6.5 feet (1.7-1.9 m) in length while females mature at slightly longer sizes of 5.9-6.6 feet (1.8-2.0 m), both corresponding to an age of 6 or 7 years. Females reach greater maximum lengths than males. The longest-lived known specimen lived to an age of 22 years. Males are commonly 270 cm (Total Length) in length when caught/marketed, but may be as large as 396 cm (Total Length).

Habitat

This shark is usually observed well offshore in deep water areas (0-500 feet (0-152 m )) although on occasion it has been reported in shallower waters near land , usually near oceanic islands . Longline capture data in the Pacific Ocean shows that abundance of this shark increases along with distance from land. It is one of the top three most abundant oceanic sharks , which also include the blue shark (Prionace glauca) and the silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis). The oceanic whitetip shark is very abundant throughout its range which includes water with temperatures are above 70°F (21°C). Although this shark is primarily solitary, it has been observed in "feeding frenzies" when a food source is present. It is a slow swimmer with equal amounts of activity during the day and nighttime hours. Reports have described swimming behavior in open waters at or near the surface of the water as moving slowly with the huge pectoral fins spread widely.May be found at depths of 0 to 152 meters.

Oceanic whitetip sharks are often accompanied by remoras , dolphin fishes , and pilot fishes. An unusual behavior of the oceanic whitetip shark is its association with the shortfin pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) in Hawaiian waters as reported by Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch (1988). They are often observed swimming along with pods of pilot whales. Although the reason for such behavior is unknown, it is suspected to be food-related. Pilot whales are efficient at locating squid upon which the oceanic whitetip sharks also feed .

Typically found in water with a depth of 0 to -5,685 meters (0 to -18,652 feet).[4]

Ecology: This is one of the most widespread sharks , ranging across entire oceans in tropical and subtropical waters. The oceanic whitetip is an oceanic-epipelagic shark , usually found far offshore in the open sea in waters >200 m deep, between about 30°N and 35°S in all oceans; it is normally found in surface waters, although it has been recorded to 152 m. It has occasionally been recorded inshore , but is more typically found offshore or around oceanic islands and areas with narrow continental shelves (Fourmanoir 1961, Compagno in prep, Last and Stevens 1994). Temperatures of waters in which it regularly occurs are 18 to 28°C, with water above 20°C preferred. Although one whitetip was caught in water of 15°C it tends to withdraw from waters that are cooling below this, as in the Gulf of Mexico in winter (Compagno in prep.).

This is a slow-moving but quite active shark, apparently equally active at daytime or night (Compagno in prep., Ebert 2003).

Development is viviparous and embryos have a yolk sac placenta that attaches to the uterine wall of the mother (Bigelow and Schroeder 1948). Born at about 60 to 65 cm TL after a gestation period of about 10 to 12 months (Compagno in prep.), males mature at about 170 to 96 cm and females at 170 to 190 cm TL (Seki et al. 1998). Oceanic whitetip sharks grow to a large size, with some individual reaching almost 4 m. However, most known specimens are et al. 1973, Stevens 1984, Seki et al. 1998), although 15 foetuses were recorded from a female of 245 cm TL from the Red Sea (Gohar and Mazure 1964) and larger females appear to carry more young, although there may be regional variation (Bass et al. 1973). Birth is thought to occur in early summer in the northwest Atlantic and south west Indian Oceans (Bass et al. 1973), and January to March off New South Wales (Stevens 1984), whereas Seki et al. (1998) found that parturition was February to July in the North Pacific. Pregnant females of this species are less frequently found in the Indian Ocean than other sharks of this genus (Gubanov 1978). In the Central Pacific, females with small embryos have been found throughout the year, suggesting a less tight seasonality of birth (and presumably mating) than the Western Atlantic (Compagno in prep). Also, non-breeding adult females have been found to outnumber gravid females in the equatorial Central Pacific (Compagno in prep). The location of nurseries has not been reported, but very young oceanic whitetip sharks have been found well offshore along the southeastern US, suggesting offshore nurseries over the continental shelves (Compagno in prep).

Seki et al. (1998) studied the age, growth and reproduction of the oceanic whitetip in the north Pacific. They found similar growth rates in both males and females with a Von Bertalanffy equation of: Lt = 299.58 * {1 - e-0.103 x (t + 2.698)} where Lt is expressed as precaudal length in cm at age t. They used Bass et al.?s (1973) transformation of TL = 1.397 x PL for conversions to total length. Using vertebral analysis they showed that annular formation occurred in spring . Both male and female oceanic whitetips matured at 4 to 5 years of age. Smith et al. (1998) investigated the intrinsic rebound potential of Pacific sharks and found that oceanic whitetips to be among a moderate rebound potential, because of their relatively fast growth and early maturation .

This pelagic species feeds mainly on bony fishes (including tunas , barracuda, white marlin, dolphinfish, lancetfish, oarfish, threadfish, swordfish) and cephalopods and to a lesser extent, seabirds, marine mammals, stingrays, and flotsam , including garbage. (Ref. 260854).

List of Habitats :

Biology

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Diet

Feeds on oceanic bony fishes, also threadfins , stingrays, sea turtles, sea birds, gastropods , squid, crustaceans, mammalian carrion and garbage[5], including tuna and mahimahi[6][7].

The oceanic whitetip shark feeds on bony fishes including lancetfish, barracuda, jacks , dolphinfish, marlin, tuna, and mackerels . Other prey consists of stingrays, sea turtles, sea birds, gastropods, squid, crustaceans, and mammalian carrion (dead whales and dolphins ). Feeding behavior has been reported for this shark and includes biting into schools of bony fishes. It also swims through schools of feeding tuna with wide-open jaws into which the tuna unknowingly swim. The oceanic whitetip shark has also been observed eating garbage that is disposed of at sea. If other species of sharks are encountered by the oceanic whitetip during feeding activities, the oceanic whitetip becomes aggressive and dominates over them.

Reproduction

Viviparous[8]. There is pronounced partial segregation by size and sex in some areas.

Records indicate the oceanic whitetip shark mates during the early summer months in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean and the southwestern Indian Ocean. This shark is viviparous in reproduction , meaning the eggs hatch inside the mother with the young being born alive. During the year-long gestation period , the embryos are nourished by a placental yolk-sac that is attached to the uterine wall by umbilical cords . In early summer, a litter ranging from 1-15 pups is born. Litter number is proportional to the size of the mother. Each pup is approximately 24-25.6 inches (60-65 cm) in length upon birth.

Migration

Oceanodromous .

Behavior

Predators : Large sharks are potential predators of the oceanic whitetip shark , especially immature individuals.

Taxonomy

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Synonyms

Carcharhinus maou (Lesson • Carcharias insularum Snyder • Carcharias longimanus (Poey • Carcharias obtusus Garman • Carcharinus longimanus (Poey • Pterolamiops budkeri Fourmanoir • Pterolamiops longimanus (Poey • Pterolamiops magnipinnis Smith • Squalus longimanus Poey • Squalus maou Lesson

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

First described: Poey, F. Memorias sobre la historia natural de la Isla de Cuba, acompañadas de sumarios Latinos y extractos en Francés. Tomo 2. Habana, Imprenta de la Viuda de Barcina 1856-1858. 442 p., 1861.

Last scrutiny: Data last modified by FishBase 28-Oct-2000

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Carcharhinus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 36 species and subspecies in this genus:

C. acronotus (Blacknose Shark) · C. ahenea (Shortnose Blacktail Shark) · C. albimarginatus (Silvertip Shark) · C. altimus (Knopp´s Shark) · C. amblyrhynchoides (Graceful Shark) · C. amblyrhynchos (Shortnose Blacktail Shark) · C. amboinensis (Ambon Sharpnose Puffer) · C. azureus (Large Blacktip Shark) · C. borneensis (Borneo Mullet) · C. brachyurus (Black-Tipped Whaler) · C. brevipinna (Blacktipped Shark) · C. cautus (Sharks Bay Whaler Shark) · C. dussumieri (Whitecheek Shark) · C. falciformis (Sickle-Shaped Shark) · C. fitzroyensis (Creek Whaler Shark) · C. galapagensis (Galapagos Shark) · C. hemiodon (Pondicherry Shark) · C. isodon (Fintooth Shark) · C. leiodon (Smoothtooth Blacktip Shark) · C. leucas (Bull Shark) · C. limbatus (Blacktip Shark) · C. longimanus (Brown Milbert's Sand Bar Shark) · C. macloti (Hardnose Shark) · C. melanopterus (Black Fin Reef Shark) · C. obscurus (Dusky Shark) · C. perezi (Caribbean Reef Shark) · C. perezii (Caribbean Reef Shark) · C. plumbeus (Northern Whaler Shark) · C. porosus (Tiburon Peninsula Limia) · C. sealei (Black-Spot Shark) · C. signatus (Night Shark) · C. sorrah (West Australian Whaler Shark) · C. springeri (Reef Shark) · C. tilstoni (Australian Blacktip Shark) · C. velox (Whitenose Shark) · C. wheeleri (Blacktail Reef Shark)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 02, 2008:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Compagno, L.J.V. (1984). FAO species catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 2. Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. (125, Vol. 4, Part 2), 655 p. [back]
  2. Smith, C.L. (1997). National Audubon Society field guide to tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p. [back]
  3. Last, P.R. and J.D. Stevens (1994). Sharks and rays of Australia. CSIRO, Australia. 513 p. [back]
  4. Mean = -2,730.960 meters (-8,959.843 feet), Standard Deviation = 1,601.540 based on 1,332 observations. Ocean depth information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
  5. Compagno, L.J.V., D.A. Ebert and M.J. Smale (1989). Guide to the sharks and rays of southern Africa. New Holland (Publ.) Ltd., London. 158 p. [back]
  6. Myers, R.F. (1991). Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p. [back]
  7. Myers, R.F. (1999). Micronesian reef fishes: a comprehensive guide to the coral reef fishes of Micronesia, 3rd revised and expanded edition. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 330 p. [back]
  8. Dulvy, N.K. and J.D. Reynolds (1997). Evolutionary transitions among egg-laying, live-bearing and maternal inputs in sharks and rays. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 264:1309-1315. [back]
Last Revised: 7/15/2012