The catalog

Every predator profile

33 ocean hunters, from reef ambushers to deep-sea giants. Filter by group, ocean, habitat, prey or conservation status, then open any profile for the full account.

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Sharks Blue shark in open ocean, showing its slim indigo-blue back, white belly, long pointed snout and unusually long, narrow pectoral fins.

Blue Shark

Prionace glauca

A slender, indigo-backed ocean traveler that crosses entire ocean basins and bears the largest litters recorded in any shark.

Length 5.9–12 ft Near Threatened
Sharks Bull shark in shallow green water, showing its stocky gray body, short blunt snout, small eyes and tall triangular first dorsal fin.

Bull Shark

Carcharhinus leucas

A powerfully built coastal shark that tolerates fresh water and turns up in rivers and lakes hundreds of miles from the sea.

Length 5.9–11 ft Vulnerable
Sharks Great hammerhead shark seen from above, showing the wide flat cephalofoil with eyes at the tips and a very tall, curved first dorsal fin.

Great Hammerhead Shark

Sphyrna mokarran

The largest hammerhead, whose broad wing-shaped head spreads its electrical sensors wide and helps it find stingrays buried in sand.

Length 7.5–20 ft Critically Endangered
Sharks Great white shark seen from the side in open blue water, showing its conical snout, dark gray back and white underside.

Great White Shark

Carcharodon carcharias

A warm-bodied ambush hunter that patrols temperate coasts and crosses entire ocean basins between seal colonies and offshore feeding grounds.

Length 11–20 ft Vulnerable
Sharks Greenland shark near the seafloor in dark cold water, showing its bulky brownish-gray body, small rounded snout and tiny low dorsal fins.

Greenland Shark

Somniosus microcephalus

A slow-moving Arctic and deep-water shark whose eye-lens radiocarbon dating points to lifespans measured in centuries rather than decades.

Length 7.9–21 ft Vulnerable
Sharks Oceanic whitetip shark in blue water, showing its long paddle-shaped pectoral fins and rounded first dorsal fin with mottled white tips.

Oceanic Whitetip Shark

Carcharhinus longimanus

A wandering open-ocean shark with long rounded fins tipped in white, once among the most abundant large animals in tropical seas.

Length 5.9–11 ft Critically Endangered
Sharks Shortfin mako shark in open water, showing its pointed snout, deep metallic blue back, white belly and stiff crescent-shaped tail.

Shortfin Mako Shark

Isurus oxyrinchus

A warm-bodied oceanic shark built for speed and sustained cruising, and one of the fastest fish for which reliable measurements exist.

Length 5.9–13 ft Endangered
Sharks Tiger shark swimming in clear blue water, showing its blunt broad snout, gray-brown back and faded dark vertical bars along the flanks.

Tiger Shark

Galeocerdo cuvier

A broad-ranging coastal shark with the widest diet of any large shark, from sea turtles and seabirds to rays, squid and carrion.

Length 9.8–18 ft Near Threatened