Sea Turtles of Costa Rica
November 2nd, 2016
In the Pacific Ocean and areas surrounding Costa Rica, white tip sharks are often found in abundance. It belongs to the family of requiem sharks, formally called Carcharhinidae. White tip sharks are the only species of their type belonging to the shark family. In contrast with the other types of sharks who are massive in length and body, these white tip sharks are usually much smaller in size. They range from about 5 – 5.5 feet in length. It is said that these sharks are instantly recognizable because of their sleek and small bodies which can torpedo through the water at very high speeds. The white tip shark has a thinner body than most other sharks but a very broad head which makes it’s appearance distinctive. Around the nostrils, this shark has tube like skin flaps and oval shaped eyes with vertical pupils. The shark gets it’s name from the white tips of it’s dorsal and caudal fins. The rest of the body is dark silver or slate gray with a white belly underneath the body. It is one of the most common fish found in the Pacific Ocean, usually near the coral reefs. Divers and researchers have reported that these sharks are usually almost always either at the bottom of the ocean or somewhere near it. Scuba divers therefore will have to dive almost to the bottom of the ocean to observe these sharks.
Habitat of the White Tip Shark
The shark is also called white tip reef shark because it almost always inhabits only coral reefs found at the bottom of the ocean. They are almost exclusively found only in the Pacific region and around Costa Rica. Around the east side of the Pacific Ocean, it lives in Costa Rica, Panama and somewhere near the waters of Galapagos Islands. Wherever there are coral reefs at the bottom of the ocean, white tip sharks can always be found inhabiting the area and laying claim to the reefs. The area they most seem to prefer is in the waters of the Pacific where there are sufficient reefs at the bottom and even more importantly, they are situated vertically which is where the sharks favor to live. Other places in Costa Rica also host the white tip sharks. Places like lagoons and open sandy areas also seem to be a preferred habitat for the white tip sharks. Wherever there is deep water and drop offs leading to it, a lot of these sharks can be found inhabiting that area as well. An interesting fact about these sharks is that they prefer very clear water and stay far away from murky or muddy waters of the ocean. This may also be the reason why the white tip sharks never stray from the bottom of the ocean. It may be that they prefer the clarity and purity of the deep water at the bottom of the ocean. Divers and marine biologists have reported that the white tip sharks generally stay at a depth of 25 – 130 feet. On rare occasions, these sharks may inhabit water less than a meter deep and in one case, a white tip reef shark was spotted at a depth of more than 300 feet.
Video for White Tip Sharks
References
Smale, M.J. (2005). Triaenodon obesus. In: IUCN2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on July 15, 2009.
Compagno, L.J.V. (1984). Sharks of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Shark Species Known to Date. Rome: Food and Agricultural Organization. pp. 535–538.
Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. and Steene, R.C. (1997). Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. University of Hawaii Press. p. 22.