The whitetip reef shark earns its common name for the white tips on the first dorsal fin and upper caudal fins. The body is dark grey to brown, and the underside is white. Small dark spots are sometimes present over the entire body. The remaining fins may also have white tips, but not always. The whitetip reef shark is sometimes confused with the Silvertip shark due to their similar appearances. However, the silvertip shark is a much heavier species, and has a large first dorsal fin and a much smaller second dorsal fin. Also, its caudal fin is lined with white, rather than tipped, as with the whitetip reef shark. 