Outer Reef

Ginglymostoma cirratum

You can spot our nurse sharks because they love to hang out on the bottom of the Outer Reef. Slow swimmers and bottom feeders, they are docile unless disturbed, although they can grow to a whopping 10 feet.

Nurse sharks are found in the Atlantic from Rhode Island to Brazil, and in the Pacific from the Gulf of California to Ecuador, especially in bays, estuaries and shallow reefs.

One of the few sharks whose pups are born live (after hatching from eggs in mom’s body), nurse sharks eat small fish, crab, octopus and other sea creatures, using their mouths like vacuums to suck prey out of crevices. They’re often found in groups of up to 30, piled on top of each other.

SHARK SUPERFANS KNOW…

They can change color to match their surroundings, grow a new set of teeth every 8 days and have two nasal barbels (like fleshy whiskers) near their mouth, which help them feel around for prey on the ocean floor.

Carcharhinus melanopterus

Blacktip reef sharks can be spotted by their coloring: light belly and dark back, with a black fin tip. This coloring helps camouflage them. When seen from below they blend with the sunny ocean surface, and when seen from above they blend with the darker ocean floor.

They’re found in tropical waters in the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Red Sea and eastern Mediterranean Sea, gathering inshore near coral reefs. They eat small fish, crustaceans, octopus, squid, crabs and sea snakes, often leaping and spinning when chasing prey and hunting in groups.

Blacktip reef sharks give birth to live pups (after they hatch inside mom’s body), which stay in protected nursery areas for their first year. Although they share shallow waters with snorkelers and scuba divers, they’re not a threat to humans.

SHARK SUPERFANS KNOW…

Blacktip reef sharks are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN, as they are often caught for their fins. It takes years for shark populations to recover from overfishing. Learn more.

Triaenodon obesus

Whitetip reef sharks are slender sharks with an extremely short, broad snout, oval eyes and conspicuous white tips. They use their small bodies (maximum length of 7 feet) to maneuver through crevices in coral reef habitats in the Indian and Pacific oceans.

Whitetip reef sharks are nocturnal, spending their nights hunting for bottom-dwelling prey hiding in coral reefs and crevices.

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During the day, whitetip reef sharks pile on top of each other, lying motionless for hours. They don’t need to move to breathe.

Stegostoma tigrinum

Juvenile zebra sharks hatch with white, zebra-like stripes on a dark brown background. As they mature, they transition to a tan body with brown, leopard-like spots. A zebra shark has two prominent ridges running along its flanks, and a long tail that comprises nearly half of its body length.

Zebra sharks are found in the tropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific, Red Sea, East Africa, southern Japan, western Australia, and the island of Tonga.

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Zebra sharks rest in passes and channels where tidal flow brings in oxygen-rich seawater.

Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos

Grey reef sharks are one of the most common reef sharks in the Indo-Pacific and are found as far east as Easter Island and as far west as South Africa.

The grey reef shark is a fast-swimming, agile shark that feeds primarily on free-swimming bony fishes and cephalopods.

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Adult females form groups in very shallow water, where the higher water temperature may accelerate their growth or that of their unborn young.

Hemiscyllium ocellatum 

Look for the epaulette shark in the Lagoon, next to the Outer Reef.

The epaulette shark is a small, spotted shark, which has a blunt snout with nasal barbels. The large black-and-white spots above the pectoral fins resemble ornamental epaulettes on a military uniform and are hypothesized to be eyespots, making the animal appear larger to predators. The tail fin comprises over half of the shark’s length.

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An active hunter in shallow water, this species increases the blood supply to its brain and selectively shuts down non-essential neural functions to cope with oxygen deprivation while foraging in isolated tide pools.

Chiloscyllium plagiosum

Find the whitespotted bamboo shark in the Lagoon, next to the Outer Reef.

The body of a whitespotted bamboo shark is stout and has dark brown stripes on a lighter brown or gray background with numerous irregular white spots. It has spiracles located below its eyes and sensory barbels located near each nostril. The pectoral fins are muscular and flexible and can be used to crawl along the bottom. This species has two dorsal fins which are roughly equal in size and are set quite far back on the body.

SHARK SUPERFANS KNOW…

Bamboo sharks have nasal barbels near their mouths that look like cat whiskers. These barbels are sensory organs that help them locate food hidden in the sand.

The sharks are nocturnal predators and will scour the bottom for food, sucking in what they find. Their teeth are adapted for clutching soft-bodied prey and crushing hard prey.  During the day they will rest in reef crevices.