How is the whitetip reef shark able to rest on the seafloor?

Unlike most requiem sharks, which must keep swimming to force water over their gills, the whitetip reef shark can pump water over its gills while lying motionless, allowing it to rest in caves and crevices during the day.

How long do whitetip reef sharks live?

On the Great Barrier Reef, males live to about 14 years and females to about 19 years, with a maximum lifespan thought to reach around 25 years.

Whitetip Reef Sharkネムリブカ

Triaenodon obesusVU— Vulnerable

The whitetip reef shark is a small, slender requiem shark common on Indo-Pacific coral reefs, easily identified by the white tips on its dorsal and tail fins. Unusually among its family, it can rest motionless on the seafloor by actively pumping water over its gills, and it hunts by squeezing into reef crevices to flush out fish and crustaceans that other sharks cannot reach.

Whitetip Reef Shark (reference photo) — Photo: Diego Delso / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Source / cropped

Species Data

Classification: Carcharhiniformes / Carcharhinidae Source
Size: Usually under 1.6 m; a maximum of about 2.1 m has been reported (an estimate considered unreliable)
Weight: Up to about 18.3 kg
Lifespan: About 14 years for males and about 19 years for females in the wild (Great Barrier Reef study); maximum lifespan estimated at about 25 years
Diet: Carnivore Feeds mainly on bony fish (eels, snappers, wrasses, etc.), as well as crustaceans (spiny lobsters, crabs) and octopus
Distribution: Widely distributed across tropical Indo-Pacific coral reefs, from South Africa and the Red Sea through Southeast Asia to Hawaii and the Galápagos Islands. Source
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

Did You Know?

Unlike most requiem sharks that must keep swimming to breathe, this species can lie motionless on the seafloor while actively pumping water over its gills. Source
It specializes in wriggling into narrow reef crevices to flush out prey other sharks cannot reach, and shows strong site fidelity; a study at Johnston Atoll found no tagged individual moved more than 3 km from its home reef in a year. Source

Where to See This Species

Operating facilities registered on this site: Japan 1

Osaka Aquarium KaiyukanOsakaOpened in 1990

Source

Conservation Story

Conservation Status

Vulnerable (VU)

Sources

ja.wikipedia.org

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FAQ

How is the whitetip reef shark able to rest on the seafloor?: Unlike most requiem sharks, which must keep swimming to force water over their gills, the whitetip reef shark can pump water over its gills while lying motionless, allowing it to rest in caves and crevices during the day. Source
How long do whitetip reef sharks live?: On the Great Barrier Reef, males live to about 14 years and females to about 19 years, with a maximum lifespan thought to reach around 25 years. Source
How many operating facilities are registered here?: Operating facilities registered on this site: Japan 1 Source

Books & gear

Source: ja.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org