The grey reef shark is one of the commonest reef sharks in the Maldives. It is the shark that divers normally see at shark feeding stations, and in the Indian Ocean it is far less aggressive than its Pacific relatives.
At a glance
Dhivehi name: Vahboa miyaru
Scientific name: Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos
Family: Carcharhinidae (requiem sharks)
Size: Commonly 1.6 m; up to 1.9 m
Found: Upper part of outer reef slopes, to about 100 m
How to recognise it
This is a moderate-sized, fairly stocky shark with a broadly rounded snout. It is grey above and pale below. The trailing edge of the tail fin is broadly blackish, and in Indian Ocean fish the upper part of the trailing edge of the first dorsal fin is narrowly whitish.
Habitat and behaviour
The grey reef shark is common on the upper part of outer reef slopes, to depths of about 100 m or more. It feeds mainly on bony fish, and occasionally on cephalopods and crustaceans. The young are born live, 1 to 6 in a litter. The species is found throughout the Indo-Pacific.
Where to see it
Grey reef sharks patrol the upper part of outer reef slopes, down to about 100 m, so divers meet them mainly on outer-reef and channel (kandu) dives. Fushi Kandu, a channel on the north-eastern side of Laamu Atoll, is reported to draw large numbers of grey reef sharks in front of the channel when the current flows in from the open ocean.
Did you know?
Grey reef sharks in the Indian Ocean are far less aggressive than those in the Pacific. Together with small differences in colouring and teeth, this has led some experts to suggest that the two might be separate species.
Source: Fishes of the Maldives, Marine Research Centre (2003).