During the night, the whitetip reef shark becomes very active, and searches for prey along the bottom. When the shark finds a prey, it chases the prey into a crevice or small cave, trapping it. The slim body, blunt snout, and tough skin helps the whitetip reef shark hunt successfully in these small spaces. It feeds mainly on bony fish, including eels, squirrelfish, snappers, damselfish, parrotfish, surgeonfish, and triggerfish. It also eats octopuses, crabs, and lobsters. 