Underwater shot of scuba diver filming a single Oceanic Whitetip Shark
Photographer
Valerie Taylor
(born 1935)
Date1953-2000
Object numberANMS1454[074]
NamePhotographic slide
MediumColour slide transparency
DimensionsOverall (inc carrier) 50 x 50 mm
Copyright© Valerie Taylor
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Valerie Taylor in memory of Ron Taylor
DescriptionOceanic Whitetip Sharks (Carcharhinus longimanus), a species of “requiem” sharks from the family Carcharhinidae, are easily identifiable by their large, rounded, white tipped dorsal and pectoral fins. They are opportunistic feeders, found globally in the upper layer of the open ocean, and thus have occasionally been observed around shipwrecks leading to their nickname – shipwreck sharks. Due to pressure from commercial fishing, both deliberate harvest and bycatch, Oceanic Whitetip Sharks are critically endangered with an estimated population decline of at least 80% over the last 60 years.
