|
The White Tip Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus) is probably the most common shark species in the tropical waters of the world. They are common around the northern part of Australia and can be found in the Red Sea, throughout the indo pacific and the Galapagos Islands. They are often the first shark that a diver or snorkeller will encounter on a coral reef. During the day they can generally be found resting under ledges and in caves but at night they become very active and hunt the reef individually or in small packs. They prey on bony fishes (moray eels, parrotfishes, goatfishes, snappers), crabs, lobsters and octopus. They grow to a maximum size of approximately 2 metres but are more commonly found about 1 – 1.5m in size. They have a litter size of 1-5 but it is more common for them to have only 2-3 pups. The gestation period last about 13 months and their maximum age is estimated to be about 25 years.
|
