Caribbean reef shark

Photo: dapsang · © all rights reserved

The Caribbean reef shark is the dominant apex predator on these isolated reefs, maintaining fish community balance by suppressing mid-trophic species. Corn Islands' remoteness and minimal fishing pressure have allowed a genuinely healthy population — something rare in the wider Caribbean. Sharks patrol the reef edge and occasionally rest motionless on the sand, an unusual behaviour thought to involve the opercular pumping of oxygen-rich water through their gills.