Oceanic Whitetip Shark: Main Shark Threat to Survivors of Shipwrecks

The Oceanic Whitetip Shark got its name from it long, white-tipped, rounded fins; it is a stock, large shark and lives in tropical and warm temperate seas. The Oceanic Whitetip Shark is rather aggressive although slow. In fact, in all of the species of shark, it is probably the one that has attacked humans the most and is a threat to the survivors of oceanic shipwreck, and downed aircraft; however, their population is decreasing to the fact that their fins are highly harvested for shark fin soup which is a delicacy in some cultures.

The Oceanic Whitetip Shark is generally found in waters between 20 and 28 degrees Celsius, and seems to prefer spending most of its time in the upper layer of the ocean. They inhabit many places all around the globe, and typically live in solitary although they will gather if there are lots of food and resources in that area. They are active both day and night in their environment with their fins widely spread.

The Oceanic Whitetip Shark is generally harvested for their fins because unlike many other sharks, their dorsal fins are significantly larger than most of the other species. The Oceanic Whitetip Shark is generally rather large, and can grow to a maximum of 4 meters although they will generally not exceed 3 meters in length. They can weight up to around 400 pounds; the females of this specie are generally larger than the males.

The diets of the Oceanic Whitetip Shark generally includes the cephalopods and bony fishes; however, at times, there are many more selections and varieties in their diet. In fact, their diet has been known to be quite open, and they will choose to include many different organisms in their diet. In fact, it is known to bite into groups of fish and swim into schools of tuna with an open mouth.

The Oceanic Whitetip Shark generally mates in the early summer time, and they will reach their sexual maturity when they reach up to around 1 meter and 75 centimeter for the male, and 2 meters for the females. With one to fifteen sharks in their litter, each one of their young averages at a length of about 60 centimeters.

While the Oceanic Whitetip Shark has been known to attack humans, they have also been approached many times without being harmed. Still, divers are advised to approach this shark with caution, and to leave the location if the shark is at an uncomfortable area.

The Oceanic Whitetip Shark is definitely one of the most interesting sharks out there especially because of its interactions with human.