Sri Lanka is home to 60 shark species, including the great white, the whale shark, and the tiger shark. Despite this, human-shark interactions rarely turn sour, and the Sri Lankan government protects several sharks.
List of the Different Types of Sharks in Sri Lanka
| Species | Maximum Size | Aggressiveness |
| Arabian Smooth-hound | 4.9-4.92 feet | Not aggressive |
| Big Eye Thresher Shark | 11-16 feet | Not aggressive |
| Bigeye Sand Tiger Shark | 11-12 feet | Not aggressive (show aggression only if provoked) |
| Bignose Shark | 8.5-9.5 feet | Highly aggressive (but not dangerous since they are less encountered) |
| Blackspot Shark | 3-3.1 feet | Not aggressive |
| Blacktip Reef Shark | 3-4 feet | Moderately aggressive (if provoked) |
| Blacktip Shark | 5-8 feet | Moderately aggressive |
| Blue Shark | 6-11 feet | Not aggressive |
| Bluntnose Six-gill Shark | 15-20 feet | Moderately aggressive (rarely targets humans, reports of just one provoked attack) |
| Bramble Shark | 9.2-10 feet | Not aggressive |
| Bristly Catshark | 0.65-0.85 feet | Not aggressive |
| Broadfin shark | 5.7-5.74 feet | Not aggressive |
| Broadnose Sevengill Shark | 3.5-7.5 feet | Not aggressive (unless caught) |
| Common Thresher Shark | 12-18 feet | Not aggressive |
| Coral Catshark | 2-2.3 feet | Not aggressive |
| Crocodile Shark | 2.5-4 feet | Not aggressive |
| Dwarf False Catshark | 2-2.1 feet | Not aggressive |
| Graceful Shark | 5.5-5.6 feet | Not aggressive (potentially dangerous) |
| Great Hammerhead Shark | 15-20 feet | Highly aggressive |
| Great White Shark | 11-16 feet | Highly aggressive |
| Grey Bamboo Shark | 2.3-2.5 feet | Not aggressive |
| Grey Reef Shark | 4-5 feet | Highly aggressive |
| Grey Sharpnose Shark | 2.3-2.9 feet | Not aggressive |
| Gulper Shark | 2.5-3 feet | Not aggressive |
| Hardnose Shark | 3.5-3.6 feet | Not aggressive |
| Hooktooth Shark | 2.2-3.3 feet | Not aggressive |
| Kitefin Shark | 3-5 feet | Not aggressive |
| Leafscale Gulper Shark | 5-5.2 feet | Not aggressive |
| Lemon Shark | 9-10 feet | Not aggressive |
| Longfin Mako Shark | 12-14 feet | Highly aggressive |
| Megamouth Shark | 13-18 feet | Not aggressive |
| Milk Shark | 3.6-3.7 feet | Not aggressive |
| Oceanic Whitetip Shark | 5-8 feet | Highly aggressive |
| Ornate Dogfish | 0.98-1 feet | Not aggressive |
| Pelagic Thresher Shark | 13-18 feet | Not aggressive |
| Pigeye Shark | 6.2-8.2 feet | Not aggressive (but potentially dangerous) |
| Pondicherry Shark | 3-3.3 feet | Not aggressive |
| Prickly Shark | 13-14 feet | Not aggressive |
| Pygmy Ribbontail Catshark | 0.78-0.8 feet | Not aggressive |
| Roughskin Dogfish | 3.9-4 feet | Not aggressive |
| Sandbar Shark | 5.5-8.5 feet | Not aggressive |
| Sand Tiger Shark | 7-10 feet | Not aggressive (due to their small mouths) |
| Scalloped Hammerhead Shark | 9-12 feet | Moderately aggressive |
| Shortfin Mako Shark | 6.5-9.5 feet | Highly aggressive |
| Sicklefin Lemon Shark | 10-12 feet | Moderately aggressive |
| Sicklefin Weasel Shark | 3.5-3.6 feet | Not aggressive |
| Silky Shark | 7-10 feet | Highly aggressive |
| Silvertip Shark | 6.6-9.8 feet | Moderately aggressive |
| Slender Bamboo Shark | 2.1-2.2 feet | Not aggressive |
| Sliteye Shark | 2-2.3 feet | Not aggressive |
| Smalltooth Sand Tiger Shark | 12-14 feet | Not aggressive |
| Smooth Hammerhead Shark | 8-12 feet | Not aggressive (but are potentially dangerous) |
| Snaggletooth Shark | 7.8-7.9 feet | Not aggressive |
| Spadenose Shark | 2-2.4 feet | Not aggressive |
| Spinner Shark | 7 -8 feet | Not aggressive |
| Spot-tail Shark | 5-5.3 feet | Not aggressive |
| Starry Smooth-hound | 4-4.7 feet | Not aggressive |
| Tawny Nurse Shark | 9.6-10 feet | Not aggressive |
| Tiger Shark | 10-14 feet | Highly aggressive |
| Whale Shark | 18-32 feet | Not aggressive |
| White Spotted Bamboo Shark | 2-3 feet | Not aggressive |
| Whitecheek Shark | 3.2-3.3 feet | Not aggressive |
| Whitetip Reef Shark | 3-5.5 feet | Moderately aggressive (only when provoked) |
| Winghead Shark | 6-6.2 feet | Not aggressive |
| Zebra Shark | 8.2-11 feet | Not aggressive |
FAQs
1. Have there been shark attacks in Sri Lanka?
Shark attacks in Sri Lanka are sporadic (the last recorded instance was in 1970), and most tend to be non-fatal.
2. Are there great white sharks in Sri Lanka?
Yes, great whites swim regularly in Sri Lankan waters. However, they generally do not go near beaches.
3. Can I go diving with sharks in Sri Lanka?
Yes, on Pigeon Island, you can go snorkeling with blacktip reef sharks, and on the West Coast, you can interact with whale sharks.
