oceanic whitetip shark

noun

variants or oceanic whitetip or less commonly oceanic white-tipped shark

plural oceanic whitetip sharks or oceanic whitetips also oceanic white-tipped sharks

: a large, relatively slow-moving requiem shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) that has fins tipped with white, is found chiefly in tropical and subtropical open ocean, and is usually under 10 feet (3.1 meters) in length but may reach a length of 13 feet (4 meters)

Note: The oceanic whitetip shark has long paddle-like pectoral fins and a large, rounded first dorsal fin.

called also whitetip shark

compare whitetip reef shark

Examples of oceanic whitetip shark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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Estimates suggest that this prehistoric creature possibly got up to 10-12 feet, similar to the modern oceanic whitetip shark. —

Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2024 Both are thought to have been 10 to 12 feet long, about the size of a modern-day oceanic whitetip shark. —

Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024 Fields is a PhD student at Florida International University, and her goal is to use genetics and tracking to develop a recovery plan for the oceanic whitetip shark, a critically endangered species. —

Catherine Garcia, The Week, 13 July 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of oceanic whitetip shark was in 1976

See more words from the same year

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Style

“Oceanic whitetip shark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oceanic%20whitetip%20shark. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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