Silvertip Shark

• The body is long and slender with a broad, rounded snout and distinct large eyes.
• 12-14 strong, serrated teeth in both the lower and upper jaw.
• Large pectoral fins that are narrowly rounded or pointed at the tips.
• Coloration varies between a dark gray, brown-gray or blue-gray dorsal surface with a bronzy sheen that fades into a white ventral surface.
• The most distinguishing feature is the white tips and borders on all fins.
• Closely resembles the grey reef shark and the whitetip reef shark. These species differ slightly in coloration; the grey reef shark has dark tips on its pectoral fins and the whitetip reef shark only has the white tip on the dorsal fin, not the pectoral fins.
• Common length between 6-8 feet (2-2.4 m).
• The maximum recorded length is 9.8 feet (2.9 m).
• The maximum recorded weight is 357.6 pounds (162.2 kg).
• Females tends to be larger than males.

• Diet consists of bony fish, rays, cephalopods, small sharks, octopuses, squids, and crustaceans.
• The silvertip shark is an apex predator, meaning it is at the top of the food chain and has very few natural predators of its own.
• Has been observed swimming among other feeding sharks and darting into the group to swipe food.
• Pups feed on small fish.
• Voracious feeders.

• Occurs inshore over or adjacent to continental and insular shelves.
• Commonly found around offshore islands, coral banks, and reefs.
• Lives at a depth range of 3-2,625 feet (1-800 m).
• Juvenile typically remains close to shore and in shallow water to minimize predation risk.
• Found primarily in the western Indian Ocean.
• Including the Red Sea and eastern African waters surrounding Madagascar, Seychelles, Aldabra Group, Mauritius, and the Chagos Archipelago.
• Occupies the western Pacific Ocean from southern Japan, northern Australia, and eastern-central Pacific areas ranging from southern Baja, California, and Mexico, to Colombia including Cocos, Galapagos, and Revillagigedo Islands.

• Viviparous; the embryos develop within the mother’s uterus and are nourished by the yolk sac placenta; females give birth to live young.
• The average gestation period is 12 months.
• May give birth to up to 11 pups per litter; the average litter has 5-6 pups.
• When born, pups are typically 1.6-2.6 feet (0.5-0.8 m).
• Pups live among shallow reefs and move out into deeper water as their size increases.
• Mates once a year in the summer months.
• No parental involvement from males beyond fertilization and no parental involvement from females following birth.
• Breeding and pupping both occur during the summer months in the Southern Hemisphere.
• Males reach sexual maturity around 5.2-5.9 feet (1.6-1.8 m).
• Females reach sexual maturity around 5.2-6.2 feet (1.6-1.9 m).

• Listed as “Vulnerable” on The IUCN Red List.

www.fishbase.org

www.iucnredlist.org

www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish

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