Habitat
Open warm pelagic waters; occasional in the Strait's deeper Atlantic side.
All species
Oceanic Whitetip Shark
Carcharhinus longimanus
Highly aggressive
Stocky open-ocean shark with distinctive white-tipped, paddle-like fins.
Maximum size
3–4 m
Aggressiveness
Highly aggressive
Ecology
Once one of the most abundant pelagic sharks; populations have collapsed by >90%.
Feeding
Opportunistic; bony fish, cephalopods, seabirds, turtles and carrion.
Behaviour
Bold, persistent and slow to retreat once interested in a target.
Safety notes
Historically responsible for many open-ocean attacks on shipwreck and aircraft survivors. Exit the water calmly if encountered.
Conservation status
IUCN: Critically Endangered.
Sources & Citations
Data compiled from peer-reviewed and authoritative open sources. Last reviewed 2026.
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Conservation status for each species.
- The Shark Trust — Species Database
Biology, ecology and identification.
- FishBase
Maximum sizes, distribution and life-history data.
- Florida Museum — International Shark Attack File
Documented species behaviour around humans.
- Nature Gibraltar / Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society
Local marine fauna records around the Strait.