Oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Elasmobranchii · Order: Carcharhiniformes · Family: Carcharhinidae · Genus: Carcharhinus.

Accepted name: Carcharhinus longimanus · Authority: (Poey, 1861) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 105794.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Carcharhinus maou (Lesson, 1831); Carcharias insularum Snyder, 1904; Carcharias longimanus (Poey, 1861); Carcharias obtusus Garman, 1881; Carcharinus longimanus (Poey, 1861); Pterolamiops budkeri Fourmanoir, 1961; Pterolamiops longimanus (Poey, 1861); Pterolamiops magnipinnis Smith, 1958; Squalus longimanus Poey, 1861; Squalus maou Lesson, 1831.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=105794 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

Measured values published by FishBase for Carcharhinus longimanus. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 400 cm · Common length: 270 cm · Depth range: 0–1082 m · Habitat zone: pelagic-oceanic · Body shape: fusiform / normal · Vulnerability index: 83.8 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

FishBase notes: An oceanic deep-water species which sometimes comes close to shore (Ref. 244). Found surface to depths of at least 150 m (Ref. 26938). Epipelagic usually over water depths of >184 meters (Ref. 58302). Frequently accompanied by Remora , Coryphaena , pilot fishes (Ref. 30573), and tortoises.

Feeds oceanic bony fishes, also threadfins, stingrays, sea turtles, sea birds, gastropods, squid, crustaceans, mammalian carrion and garbage (Ref. 5578), including tuna and mahimahi (Ref. 1602, 37816). Viviparous (Ref. 50449). There is pronounced partial segregation by size and sex in some areas. This is an active, almost fearless shark also charged in human attacks (Ref. 244).

Probably responsible for many open-ocean attacks after air or sea disasters (Ref. 6871). Utilized fresh, frozen (Ref. 9987), smoked, and dried-salted for human consumption; hides for leather, fins for fin soup, liver oil for vitamins, also processed into fishmeal (Ref. 244). 1 to 15 young, 60 to 65 cm, are born per litter (Ref. 1602).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 875) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Carcharhinus-longimanus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

2,918 georeferenced occurrence records for Carcharhinus longimanus are published through GBIF from 98 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 884 distinct locations from a sample of 2,918 records, omitting 151 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.

Most records by country or area: Australia (816); Brazil (388); Egypt (167); France (160); United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (150).

The full country table, WoRMS marine regions and the sampling notes are on this species' Distribution page.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2418052) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2418052&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=105794 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Carcharhinus longimanus (Poey, 1861) as Critically Endangered (code CR). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.

Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 39374) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/39374/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2418052) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2418052/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

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.

Taxonomy

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 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.

Distribution and habitat

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, It prefers water temperatures above 20 C, and up to 28 C but can also be found in waters as cool as 15 C 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—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 deep, mainly around oceanic islands and narrow continental shelves.

Description

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 in length, though they usually grow up to 3 m in length and 150 kg in weight. However, the all-tackle record listed by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) is 167 kg for a 2.2 m long individual, suggesting that weight is likely much more in larger individuals.

The female is typically larger than the male by 10 cm. In the Gulf of Mexico in the 1950s, the mean weight of oceanic whitetip sharks was 86.4 kg. In the 1990s, the sharks of the species from the same area averaged only 56.1 kg.

Biology

The oceanic whitetip is typically solitary, though gatherings have been observed where food is plentiful. It swims during the day and night.

The oceanic whitetip usually moves slowly, cruising near the top of the water column in open water. During summer, when the ocean surface is warmer, oceanic whitetips tend to swim more quickly and at deeper depths. They have been observed to breach out of the water (akin to a whale).

The oceanic whitetip shark feeds mainly on pelagic cephalopods, like squid, and bony fish, such as lancetfish, threadfins, oarfish, barracuda, jacks, mahi-mahi, marlin, tuna, and mackerel. However, its diet can be far more varied and less selective—it is known to eat stingrays, sea turtles, seabirds, gastropods, crustaceans, and marine mammal carcasses. Its feeding methods include swimming through schools of frenzied tuna with an open mouth, waiting for the fish to swim in before biting down; when whaling formerly took place in warm waters, oceanic whitetips were the most common scavengers of floating carcasses, which may explain why they are sometimes considered one of the "whaler sharks".

Whitetips commonly compete for food with silky sharks, explaining its comparatively leisurely swimming style combined with aggressive displays. They are known to trail pilot whales as they both feed on squid. Evidence in the form of sucker scars on the skin of an individual filmed off Hawaii indicate that the species may also dive deep enough to battle with large squid, such as the giant squid.

Groups often form when individual sharks converge on a food source. They are recorded to segregate by both sex and size. They commonly get into feeding frenzies. Oceanic whitetips gather in large numbers off Cat Island, Bahamas from winter to spring, due to the abundance of large bony fish.

Pilot fish, dolphinfish, and remora may follow these sharks.

Source: Wikipedia: Oceanic whitetip shark — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oceanic_whitetip_shark (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.