Oceanic whitetip shark swimming to the right

Images(3)

Oceanic whitetip shark swimming to the right

Photographer Valerie Taylor (born 1935)

DateDecember 1996

Object numberANMS1457[332]

NamePhotographic slide

MediumColour transparency film, paper

DimensionsOverall (Inc carrier): 50 × 50 mm

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Valerie Taylor in memory of Ron Taylor

Terms

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.