Scientific name:
Triaenodon obesus Identification:
Very broad snout; pectoral fins and dorsal fins have pointed tips, and the first dorsal and caudal fins bear white tips; color gray to brown above (sometimes with darker blotches). Size:
Birth 56 cm (22 inches), maximum length 2.1 m (6.9 ft). Range:
Most of the tropical Indo-Pacific; in eastern Pacific near Cocos and Galapagos Islands, Islas de Revillagigedo, and Panama to Coasta Rica. Depth range from intertidal zone to 40 m (132 ft). Biology:
rests in caves, under ledges, or in reef gutters (often in groups) during the day. Found in lagoons, on reef flats, and reef faces (where it is most abundant). Most active at night. Individuals might return to the same cave or crevice every day, sometimes for years. Feeds on bony fishes (eels, parrotfishes, goatfishes, snappers, damselfishes, surgeonfishes, triggerfishes) crabs, lobsters, and octopuses. Indifferent toward divers; however, may become aggressive when mistreated or when food is present (when spearfishing).