Although the whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus) is a placid creature, and will only bite humans if harassed, you might be forgiven for imagining much worse. A down-slanted mouth and prominent brow ridges give this shark a permanent look of disgust or disdain. In fact, that mean mouth is specially adapted to chasing its favourite prey - squid, octopus, lobster and crab - into crevices at the base of reefs. In its pursuit of food it will often jam itself into small caves made by coral and during its feeding frenzy thick membranes cover and protect its eyes.
This shark does most of its hunting at night. During daylight hours, it often lies near its chosen caves in groups, which sometimes appear stacked up like a pile of logs. It likes to stick to the bottom, and is capable of lying motionless for long periods of time.
