Species: Carcharhinus longimanus, Oceanic Whitetip Shark

Carcharhinus longimanus (Poey, 1861)

Oceanic Whitetip Shark

Moderately stout; snout moderately short and broadly rounded, length 1-1.1 in distance between nostrils; eyes round; nasal flaps very small, rudimentary; upper front teeth broadly triangular, straight, serrated; lower front teeth with narrow, high, straight points; ridge on back between dorsal fins usually present; origin of first dorsal fin slightly before inner rear corner of pectoral fins; first dorsal fin very large, with broadly rounded tip, its height 9.2-15.2% of TL; pectoral fins extremely long (length of front edge 20.2- 27.1% of TL), with broad round tips; origin of second dorsal in front of or over anal fin origin; tail base without keels; tail fin strongly asymmetrical, with well developed lower lobe, undulating ridge along dorsal surface of top lobe, and a notch under tip of that lobe.

Brownish grey on back, becoming white ventrally; tips of first dorsal fin, paired fins, and caudal fin lobes broadly mottled white; anal fin usually blackish at tip and second dorsal fin may be dusky at tip; juveniles with most fins tipped with black.

Grows to 350 cm, possibly 395 cm.

Habitat: oceanic epipelagic.

Depth: 0-1050 m.

Circumtropical; New Jersey to Uruguay.