Silvertip Shark

Photo: Cécile Bonis · CC BY-NC

Silvertips patrol the wall's deeper sections, their white-tipped fins unmistakable as they cruise the current lines hunting tuna, reef fish, and squid. As apex predators, they regulate the behavior and distribution of mid-level predators, preventing overgrazing of herbivore populations that maintain healthy coral cover — a cascade effect essential to the reef's structural integrity.