This is a large shark most often seen on the seaward reef at depths greater than 30m, although we recently saw one at a similar depth on a Kwajalein Atoll lagoon pinnacle. At Enewetak Atoll, it was the most common shark observed from the submersible Makali'i deeper than 100m. Occasionally they will come up shallower on the steep slope to investigate divers, particularly if spearfishing is taking place. They may spawn inside the lagoon. While doing some deep lagoon sediment coring in about 40m of water at Rongelap Atoll in 1982, we attracted numerous very small individuals to the sound of our sledgehammers pounding the plastic coring tubes into the sand. We have not found this to be a particularly aggressive shark, although they are considered potentially dangerous and have been reported to eat, among other fish, gray reef sharks.
Created 1 October 2013
Updated 5 September 2017