These Sharks Once Ruled the Seas. Now They’re Nearly Gone.

Oceanic whitetips, famous for attacking shipwrecked sailors, have been decimated by fishing and the shark fin trade.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Federal Government announced that on March 1, 2018, the oceanic whitetip shark would be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The decision comes in response to a 2015 petition filed by Defenders of Wildlife and includes provisions for protecting the sharks and their critical habitat.

This story appears in the August 2016 issue of National Geographic magazine.

This summer, we’re looking at three shark species with notorious reputations: tiger sharks, great whites, and oceanic whitetips. We’ll meet scientists who are shedding new light on these enigmatic creatures that are vital to the seas—and not as scary as you might think.
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