The Cook Islands consist of 15 separate islands in the Pacific Ocean. Naturally, they are also home to several shark species. Commonly seen sharks include several species of reef and hammerhead sharks and others like the nurse, blue, and lemon sharks.
List of the Different Types of Sharks in the Cook Islands
| Species | Maximum Size | Aggressiveness |
Blacktip Reef Shark |
3-4 feet | Moderately aggressive (if provoked) |
Blue Shark |
6-11 feet | Not aggressive |
| Bluntnose Sixgill Shark | 15-20 feet | Moderately aggressive (rarely target humans, reports of just one provoked attack) |
Bull Shark |
7-12 feet | Highly aggressive |
| Common Thresher Shark | 12-18 feet | Not aggressive |
Cookiecutter Shark |
1.5-3.5 feet | Not aggressive |
Galapagos Shark |
9.8-12 feet | Highly aggressive |
| Great Hammerhead Shark | 15-20 feet | Highly aggressive |
Gray Reef Shark |
4-5 feet | Highly aggressive |
Lemon Shark |
9-10 feet | Not aggressive |
Longfin Mako Shark |
12-14 feet | Highly aggressive |
Nurse Shark |
7-8 feet | Not aggressive |
| Oceanic Whitetip Shark | 10-13 feet | Highly aggressive |
Pelagic Thresher Shark |
13-18 feet | Not aggressive |
| Prickly Shark | 13-14 feet | Not aggressive |
Scalloped Hammerhead Shark |
9-12 feet | Moderately aggressive |
Shortfin Mako Shark |
6.5-9.5 feet | Highly aggressive |
Silky Shark |
7-10 feet | Highly aggressive |
Silvertip Shark |
6.6-9.8 feet | Moderately aggressive |
Tiger Shark |
10-14 feet | Highly aggressive |
Whale Shark |
18-32 feet | Not aggressive |
Whitetip Reef Shark |
3-5.5 feet | Moderately aggressive (only when provoked) |
Recent Cases of Shark Attacks in Cook Islands >>
FAQs
1. Have there been shark attacks in the Cook Islands?
There have been three recorded shark attacks in the Cook Islands. Unfortunately, two of those were fatal.
