AY Honors/Species Account/Carcharhinus longimanus

Carcharhinus longimanus

Oceanic Whitetip Shark (Carcharhinus longimanus)

Where found: Tropical and warm temperate seas worldwide. It likes deep, open water, with a temperature greater than 18 °C (64 °F).It prefers waters between 20 °C (68 °F) and 28 °C (82 °F) and tends to withdraw from areas when temperatures fall outside of this.

Description: Its stocky body is most notable for its long, white-tipped fins. The fins are significantly larger than most other shark species, and are conspicuously rounded. The shark's nose is rounded and its eyes are circular, with nictitating membranes. Recent studies show sharply declining populations because its large fins are highly valued as the chief ingredient of shark fin soup and, as with other shark species, the whitetip faces mounting fishing pressure. Whitetip Shark BBC video