Think you know sharks? This divers guide to sharks includes species like hammerheads, great white, whale sharks and other apex predators from across the globe.
How much do you know about whale sharks? Scuba Diving magazine and Shark Savers bring you top facts about whale sharks, their conservation status and where to find them. Snorkelers can swim with these gentle giants in Mexico, Tonga and more! Want more facts about sharks and underwater photography? Go to scubadiving.com.
Tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier)
•Conservation status: IUCN Red Listed as Near Threatened
•In Hawaiian culture this shark is sometimes referred to as Niuhi, a ferocious shark of legend.
Oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus)
•Conservation status: IUCN Red Listed as ‘Vulnerable’ and recently listed on CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) Appendix II, restricting the international trade of this species.
•These sharks are often referred to as ‘oceanics’ or OWTs by researchers and photographers.
Nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum)
•Conservation status: IUCN Red Listed as ‘Data Deficient’
•The nurse shark got its name from the squeaky sucking noise it can make when out of the water; not to be confused with Australia’s grey nurse shark, also known as a Raggie in South Africa or a Sand Tiger shark in the United States; or with the Tawny nurse shark of the Indo-Pacific region.
Facts and information about lemon sharks: habitat, conservation status, diet, where to see them and more.
Grey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos)
•Conservation status: IUCN Red Listed as ‘Near Threatened’
•Grey reef sharks have a typical reef shark appearance, greyish coloring on the topside fading to white underneath, reaching sizes of about 2.5 meters (~ 7 ft.) in length, but they can be identified by a distinct black edge of the tail.
Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias)
•Conservation status: IUCN Red Listed as ‘Vulnerable’; listed on CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) Appendix II, restricting the international trade of this species.
•In Australia and New Zealand they are often referred to as “white pointers.”
Everything you want to know about hammerhead sharks: Behavior, size, where to dive with hammerheads, and more!