Unlike other requiem sharks, this species can pump water over its gills without needing to ram ventilate, which means it can stop moving and have a rest! These sharks are very slender and hunt at night by squeezing themselves into tight caves in their coral reef habitat.
just followed you and saw requests for sharks…have you done whitetip reef sharks?? i love them sm!
DYK…
whitetip reef shark is slender and sleek, with characteristic white markings on the tips of several of its fins. these markings gave it its common name. it is an agile swimmer well suited for its mostly reef habitat existence.
whitetip reef shark rely on electroreceptors in their snouts to detect the electrical charges of nearby prey. although they are formidable predators, whitetip reef sharks are preyed upon by larger fish, such as tiger sharks and giant grouper.
whitetip reef shark are the only shark in Hawaiian waters with the ability to stop swimming and rest for long periods at a time, making them more commonly observed by divers.
Range & Habitat: Whitetip reef sharks can be found across most of the Southern Hemisphere, excluding the Antarctic region. During the day, they hide in caves and crevasses, but become active at night.
Other: Whitetip reef sharks are identifiable by their long bodies, fins placed far along their torsos, and their characteristic white-tipped fins. They are rather small and can often be found piled up on top of one another sleeping during the day (as shown above) until nightfall when they suddenly become very active and begin to hunt small reef fish and crustaceans. They spend most of their lives in one small part of a reef but are not typically aggressive nor territorial.
id: A whitetip reef shark colored a soft brown. Its white tipped fins and underbelly look like melty white chocolate as it swims against a coral pink splash of color. It bites off a piece of a white chocolate covered pretzel, surrounded by text that reads “Whitetip Reef shark.” end id.