Caribbean Reef Shark

ID points

• Stout body, first dorsal fin starting over the rear edge of the pectoral fins
• Fin undersides dusky at the tips, with no white tips
• Often cruises slowly in groups above the reef platform

Basics

Family

Carcharhinidae

Length

2.0–2.5 m

Depth

1-70 m

Regions

Caribbean & W. Atlantic

Distribution

Coral reefs of the Caribbean Sea

Habitat

Coral reefs and drop-offs

Diet

Reef fish, cephalopods

Easily confused with

Oceanic Whitetip SharkPectoral fins and first dorsal fin very long with rounded tipsBlue SharkIndigo blue back and pure white belly with a sharp dividing lineBull SharkStout body with a short blunt snout that looks cut off flat

Fun fact

The Caribbean reef shark is the most abundant shark on Caribbean coral reefs and the top predator of that ecosystem. Groups of them rest together, sometimes dozens lying motionless in a seabed cave at the same time, a behaviour that still has no full explanation.

More in this family

• Blacktip Reef Shark
• Grey Reef Shark
• Lemon Shark
• Silky Shark
• Tiger Shark
• Whitetip Reef Shark