The whitetip reef shark has a slim body, and has a short, wide head. The snout is flattened and blunt, and has large flaps of skin in front of the nostrils. The eyes are small and oval-shaped, and have vertical pupils. Along with the mouth which slants downwards, the visible brow ridges give this shark a permanent "disgusted" expression to its face. The first dorsal fin is located well behind the pectoral fins. The second dorsal fin is large, but smaller than the first dorsal. The pectoral fins are wide and triangular in shape. The anal fin is about as large as the second dorsal fin. There is no interdorsal ridge (ridge between the two dorsal fins), and there are no lateral keels on the caudal penduncle.