Overview

• In April 2024, researchers and tourist operators documented at least nine oceanic whitetip and five tiger sharks feeding on a heavily decayed carcass about 10 kilometers off the island’s west coast over an 8.5-hour period without any aggression.
• Larger tiger sharks dominated direct access to the carcass while smaller sharks remained below the surface to feed on drifting scraps, suggesting an established social hierarchy.
• Oceanic whitetip sharks usually roam the open ocean and tiger sharks are primarily coastal, making their simultaneous presence at a single food source exceptionally rare.
• Two to three photographers in the water throughout the event reported no harmful or aggressive interactions, highlighting the sharks’ unexpectedly tolerant behavior toward each other and humans.
• The May 2025 publication offers new perspectives on shark social dynamics and may inform conservation efforts for threatened oceanic whitetip sharks.