Silvertip Shark, Carcharhinus albimarginatus

Size:
Max. 300cm.  Mature females 180-220cm, mature males 150-180cm.

Appearance:
A typical requiem shark, fairly slender with a long, rounded snout.  Uniformly dusky grey in colour, with tips and trailing edges of first dorsal, pectoral, pelvic and caudal fins white.  During mating season, females often observed with mating wounds.

Distribution:
Wide ranging throughout most of the tropical Indo-Pacific.  Depth ranges from shallow surface waters to 100m. 

General:
Usually a solitary animal, occasionally seen in small aggregations patrolling the deep drop-offs (30m).  Juvenile specimens found in shallower waters closer to shore.  Mature Silvertips have a home range on the reef extending up to 5km away.

Feeding:
Actively hunts, feeding on a wide variety of both benthic and pelagic bony fishes.  Also known to feed on other elasmobranches and octopus.

Reproduction:
Placental viviparous with a yolk-sac placenta.  Gestation period about 12 months with 1-11 pups per litter. Size at birth 60-70cm.
 
Similar Species:
None.

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