English Name: Grey Reef Shark
Local Name: Vahboa Miyaru
Size: Common to 1.6 m; max. 1.9 m
Family: CARCHARHINIDAE
Order: Carcharhiniformes
Distinctive Characters: A moderate-sized fairly stocky shark. Snout broadly rounded. Upper teeth serrate, narrowly triangular. Ridge on back present or absent. 24 – 28 teeth in jaws. Anterior nasal flaps very low.
Colour: Grey above, pale below. Trailing edge of caudal fin broadly blackish. Upper part of trailing edge of first dorsal fin narrowly whitish (in Indian Ocean individuals)
Habitat and Biology: Common on upper part of outer reef slopes to depths of about 100 m or more. Feeds mainly on bony fishes, occasionally on cephalopods and crustaceans. Viviparous, with a yolk-sac placenta; number of young per litter 1 to 6.
Distribution: Indo-Pacific.
Remarks: Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos is one of the commonest reef shark in Maldives and it is this species that is normally seen by divers at shark feeding stations. Grey reef sharks in the Indian Ocean is far less aggressive than those in the Pacific. This, combined with small differences in colouration and dentition, has led some to suggest that they might be two separate species.