Oceanic white tips at night

[u/Mario507]

Because I saw the video of the night dive with the whale shark.

This was on a liveaboard where oceanic white tips cycled our boat. I took ma not too expensive camera, tied a rope to it and hung it down in the water.

I wouldn't have gone in that water at night for a million Euros..

[u/14ChaoticNeutral]

I’m more nervous about white tips than any of the big three

[u/TeaSalty9563 → u/14ChaoticNeutral]

Me too. They sort of remind me of polar bears.

[u/pottedPlant_64 → u/14ChaoticNeutral]

Why? What’s their reputation?

[u/Brandish_Alfa → u/pottedPlant_64]

The white tips are that kind of shark that eat everything and I mean EVERYTHING they can put in their mouths, and as the also live in open ocean they have some fame as vicious hunters of those who end in the ocean because of torpedoed ships or shipwrecks in general

[u/macmac360 → u/Brandish_Alfa]

[u/FishyFry84 → u/macmac360]

Anyway, we delivered the bomb

[u/Sicktoyou → u/FishyFry84]

No distress signal had been sent

[u/WolfWhovian → u/Sicktoyou]

There technically was one sent in real life but it was either not heard or ignored the same way their lateness getting back was

[u/Sicktoyou → u/WolfWhovian]

Ture, but I was talking about his speech and how he was saying, "turns out the mission was so secret, no distress signal had been sent." He had a really odd way of saying it

[u/ishey → u/Brandish_Alfa]

Proven history

[u/N0tThatSerious → u/Brandish_Alfa]

And IIRC they evolved the ability to know what the sound of a shipwreck and struggling shipmates in the water sound like, but I cant find any confirmation on that

[u/bhaze → u/N0tThatSerious]

I don’t think ships have been around long enough for that to be a viable evolutionary theory; I think a more accurate interpretation of what you’re saying would be that they have enhanced sensory capabilities due to their migratory lifestyle in the open ocean where food is scarce and the ability to detect potential prey from great distances is what has contributed to them being successful is this niche.

[u/philium1 → u/pottedPlant_64]

They’re open ocean sharks. The open ocean is sort of like the desert of the sea - food items are few and far between. So oceanic white tips are perpetually hungry and not picky at all. They have also learned to tail ships because they know they can eat anything that falls overboard, including people.

[u/Appropriate-Pop-8044 → u/pottedPlant_64]

They’re open ocean predators and they always act like they WANT that meal and are hungry, just like polar bears.

[u/sleverest → u/pottedPlant_64]

Their reputation

[u/hodgsonstreet → u/sleverest]

This link says it’s not endangered, yet it’s listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List

[u/Smellzlikefish → u/hodgsonstreet]

"Endangered" means a few things depending on which of the three entities you refer to. There's the endangered species list, the IUCN, and CITES. The latter limits trade and doesn't denote endangered status, but people use it that way anyway as it protects the endangered species.

[u/manydoorsyes → u/sleverest]

Some false information here; the link says that this species is not endangered. Frankly I don't know what they're smoking. They're probably one of the most endangered sharks.

IUCN has them listed as critically endangered

[u/sleverest → u/manydoorsyes]

Definitely didn't think I'd need to fact-check The Smithsonian, but the reputation bit still stands.

[u/afrikaninparis → u/manydoorsyes]

Yeah, which makes it clear as a main ingredient of shark fin soup. Thanks China.

[u/SSgt93 → u/pottedPlant_64]

They never give up.

[u/Ok-Shop-617 → u/14ChaoticNeutral]

They can definitely be irratic. Bull sharks are still the sharks that make me the most nervous as a diver. Primarily due to their tenancy to operate in packs, and ability go from 0-100 is a split second.

[u/XxMonsterZeroXx → u/14ChaoticNeutral]

I remember being lucky to see one at Monterey Bay Aquarium many years ago. I was excited and tripping out over it and not the sharks that were much bigger. Which had everyone looking at me funny. Until I explained those other sharks (mostly Sand tigers) might bite you but that Whitetip will definitely eat you.

[u/jane_jesterling → u/XxMonsterZeroXx]

Seeing one in their natural habitat (the ocean) is what I would call lucky… not locked in a tiny glass cell in a chash grab aquarium. smh fck aquariums/ fck zoos

[u/YodaVader1977 → u/14ChaoticNeutral]

Yes. They scare the piss out of me.