Are there sharks in Ecuador? Ecuador is a beautiful country located in South America, with a diverse landscape that encompasses parts of the Amazon rainforest, Andean highlands, and the Galápagos Islands. Its beautiful shore is washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean, and the Galapagos archipelago, with its 58 islands, is located about 600 miles (965 kilometers) from the coast.
However, what most people don’t know is that the country of Ecuador boasts the world’s highest abundance of sharks in the waters surrounding the Galapagos Islands.
Ecuador has at least 40 species of shark. Actually, Ecuador boasts the world’s highest abundance of sharks, especially in the Galapagos Islands. The most common species (but not limited to) are Whitetip Reef Sharks, Blacktip and Grey Reef Sharks, Dusky Sharks, and three species of Hammerheads.
Ecuador is a great example of how incidents with sharks are rare. Despite the high abundance of sharks and frequent sightings, there have been only 11 attacks since researchers started keeping track and investigating this kind of event. In this article, you’ll find a detailed description of the shark species in Ecuador and all the reported shark attacks that took place in the country.
To learn all about shark attacks and the most incredible species of shark in Ecuador, keep reading.
Are There Sharks In Ecuador? (Species Guide)
Ecuador is an absolute haven for sharks, and the Galapagos Marine Reserve is the second largest marine reserve in the world. The country is home to more than 40 different species of sharks, many of them endangered and some found only there, such as the beautiful Galapagos Sharks and the Galapagos Bullhead Shark.
Forty shark species have already been recorded in Ecuador, but there are probably more as the country is bordered by the Pacific Ocean. The 33 most common species are:
- Scalloped hammerhead shark
- Pelagic thresher
- Bigeye thresher
- Oceanic whitetip shark
- Shortfin mako
- Longfin mako
- Galapagos shark
- Blue shark
- Silky shark
- Blacktip shark
- Bull shark
- Dusky shark
- Tiger shark
- Lemon shark
- Crocodile shark
- Pacific angel shark
- Bonnethead shark
- Smooth hammerhead shark
- Smalltail shark
- Nurse shark
- Mexican hornshark
- Sharptooth smoothhound
- Scoophead hammerhead shark
- Brown smoothhound
- Sicklefin smoothhound
- Whitenose shark
- Pacific sharpnose shark
- Whitetip Reef shark
- Blacktip Reef Shark
- Grey Reef shark
- Great Hammerhead shark
- Whale shark (seasonal visits)
- Galapagos Bullhead shark (very rare)
Shark sightings are usual in Ecuador, especially in the Galapagos Islands. When scuba diving in most places, you must be lucky to see some sharks. However, in the Galapagos Islands waters, it’s almost certain that you’ll see some of these beautiful animals when diving.
Unfortunately, according to specialists, out of the 40 shark species found in Ecuadorian waters, almost 90% are listed on the IUCN Red List. Many of these species are frequently caught, some for meat and some for traditional use, such as angel shark eggs to treat asthma.
- Shark Species In Ecuador: 40 (At Least)
- Most Frequently Seen: Reef sharks, Dusky sharks, and three species of Hammerhead sharks.
- Most Dangerous Species: Oceanic Whitetip Shark / Bull Shark / Tiger Shark
- Biggest Sharks Found In Ecuador: Whale Shark (largest species on Earth)
| Species | Scientific Name | Maximum Size | Aggressiveness |
| Scalloped Hammerhead | Sphyrna lewini | Up to 4 m (13 ft) | Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Pelagic Thresher | Alopias pelagicus | Up to 4.3 m (14 ft) | Not Aggressive (Harmless) |
| Bigeye Thresher | Alopias superciliosus | Up to 4.9 m (16 ft) | Not Aggressive (Harmless) |
| Oceanic Whitetip | Carcharhinus longimanus | Up to 4 m (13 ft) | Very Aggressive (Dangerous) |
| Shortfin Mako | Isurus oxyrinchus | Up to 4 m (13 ft) | Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Longfin Mako | Isurus paucus | Up to 4.3 m (14 ft) | Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Galapagos shark | Carcharhinus galapagensis | Up to 3.3 m (11 ft) | Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Blue shark | Prionace glauca | Up to 4 m (13 ft) | Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Silky shark | Carcharhinus falciforims | Up to 3.5 m (11.5 ft) | Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Blacktip shark | Carcharhinus limbatus | Up to 2 m (6.5 ft) | Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Bull shark | Carcharhinus leucas | Up to 2.1 m (6.8 ft) | Very Aggressive (Extremely Dangerous) |
| Dusky shark | Carcharhinus obscurus | Up to 3.6 m (12 ft) | Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Tiger shark | Galeocerdo cuvier | Up to 9 m (29 ft) | Very Aggressive (Dangerous) |
| Lemon shark | Negaprion brevirostris | Up to 3.7 m (12.1 ft) | Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Crocodile shark | Pseudocarcharias kamoharai | Up to 1.1 m (3.6 ft) | Not Aggressive (Harmless) |
| Pacific Angel shark | Squatina californica | Up to 1.1 m (3.9 ft) | Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Bonnethead shark | Sphyrna tiburo | Up to 1.2 m (4 ft) | Not Aggressive (Harmless) |
| Smooth Hammerhead | Sphyrna zygaena | Up to 5 m (16 ft) | Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Smalltail shark | Carcharhinus porosus | Up to 1.3 m (4.4 ft) | Not Aggressive (Harmless) |
| Nurse shark | Ginglymostoma cirratum | Up to 4.2 m (14 ft) | Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Mexican Horn shark | Heterodontus mexicanus | Up to 70 cm (2.2 ft) | Not Aggressive (Harmless) |
| Sharptooth Smoothhound | Mustelus dorsalis | Up to 64 cm (2 ft) | Not Aggressive (Harmless) |
| Scoophead Hammerhead | Sphyrna media | Up to 1.5 m (5 ft) | Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Brown Smoothhound | Mustelus henlei | Up to 1 m (3.2 ft) | Not Aggressive (Harmless) |
| Sicklefin Smoothhound | Mustelus lunulatus | Up to 1.7 m (5 ft) | Not Aggressive (Harmless) |
| Whitenose shark | Nasolamia velox | Up to 1.5 m (5 ft) | Not Aggressive (Harmless) |
| Pacific Sharpnose shark | Rhizoprionodon longurio | Up to 1.5 m (5 ft) | Not Aggressive (Harmless) |
| Whitetip Reef shark | Triaenodon obesus | Up to 2.1 m (6.8 ft) | Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Blacktip Reef Shark | Carcharhinus melanopterus | Up to 2 m (6.5 ft) | Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Grey Reef shark | Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos | Up to 2.5 m (8.2 ft) | Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Great Hammerhead | Sphyrna mokarran | Up to 6 m (20 ft) | Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Whale shark | Rhincodon typus | Up to 18 m (59 ft) | Not Aggressive (Harmless) |
| Galapagos Bullhead | Heterodontus quoyi | Up to 1.1 m (3.6 ft) | Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
Related Article: Are There Sharks In El Salvador? (Detailed Answer)
Fatal Sea Disaster Off Ecuador Coast
The story of the only fatal shark incident in Ecuador involves the heroic acts of a young flight officer and his two companions. They were onboard a military aircraft on the coast of Ecuador, but after a problem, they were forced to ditch their plane in the sea between Esmeraldas and Salinas.
The “Lone Survivor” of this story was a flight officer onboard a military aircraft with two more companions that died. Sharks took the corpse of one of them (Colonel B) and bit the body of the other (Sub-Lieutenant D.). He swam for 31 hours before reaching the coast. The young flight officer relates to this experience are insane. After he realized that Colonel B had died, he tried his best to take the body with him, but the unexpected company wanted otherwise.
“Afterwards, putting the corpse, which floated perfectly, in front of me, I continued pushing it, with the objective of taking it out if we managed to reach land. When I had pushed the corpse of my colonel ahead of me in order to swim to it again, a strange force dragged the body, and I did not see it again in spire of searching a long time among the waves. Sub-Lieutenant D., who was still living, and who had hold of me, made me reflect that it was foolish to wait longer, and I continued towards where I believed the coast to be.”
Unfortunately, Sub-Lieutenant D, that was bitten, was not in his best shape as well. He tried and fought his best to survive, but he never made it to the coast, as the survivor told investigators.
“Sub-Lieutenant D. lived perhaps four or five hours more until at the end, after having had moments before his death of a state of despair which is very painful to narrate, he died. Taking the same attitude as toward that of the corpse of my Colonel, I put the body of my companion in front of me and continued pushing him but not as far ahead as I had done previously with the other corpse. As it was a moonlit night and during some moments very clear, I was able to observe that strange figures crossed very close to us until at a given moment I felt that they were trying to take away the corpse pulling it by the feet, on account of which I clutched the body of my companion desperately, and together with him we slid until the tension disappeared. Once refloated, with despair, I touched his legs and became aware that a part of them was lacking and continued swimming with the now mutilated corpse until the attack was repeated two times more and then, terrorized at feeling the contact of fish against my body, turned loose the corpse convinced that I would be the next victim.”
Surprisingly, the flight officer made it through the night and, with almost no hopes of survival, he managed to get to the coast alive.
“As soon as it was light, I could see the coast at a great distance, but I had no hopes of reaching it because, with the light of day, I could see that various sharks were following me. I continued swimming all day Friday until sundown I found myself some 400 or 500 meters from the rock on the coast, and as I was already tired because of the undertow which existed, I could not reach the rocks until after making a superhuman effort at which hour I do not know.”
Related Article: Are There Sharks In Barbados? (Detailed Research)
Sharks In Ecuador: Confirmed Attacks
Two institutes have kept track of all shark incidents since the 1500s, ISAF (International Shark Attack File) and GSAF (Global Shark Attack File). Their specialists have been doing an amazing job, investigating and reporting incidents all over the world. Of course that it’s impossible to keep track of all the incidents, as in less developed countries, bites often go unreported.
After extensive research in ISAF and GSAF files, I was able to find 11 incidents that took place in the waters of Ecuador. The incident attack dated back to 1941 and involved a sea disaster that caused sharks, causing the death of two men.
- Unprovoked Attacks: 10
- Watercraft / Sea Disaster: 1
- Fatal Victims: 2
| Date | Area | Location | Activity | Incident Type | Fatal? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1941 | Pacific Ocean | Ecuador Coast | Aircraft | Sea Disaster | Yes |
| 30 Jul 1954 | Galapagos | Unknown | Tuna Fishing | Unprovoked | No |
| 27 Jan 1959 | Galapagos | Mary Barbara | Washed Overboard | Unprovoked | No |
| 21 Dec 2007 | Galapagos | San Cristobal | Surfing | Unprovoked | No |
| 24 Nov 2008 | Galapagos | Santa Cruz | – | Unprovoked | No |
| 10 Jan 2009 | Galapagos | Isla Isabella | Surfing | Unprovoked | No |
| 25 Dec 2011 | Santa Elena | Barandúa Beach | Surfing | Unprovoked | No |
| 14 May 2014 | Santa Cruz | Turtle Bay | Surfing | Unprovoked | No |
| 20 Nov 2015 | Galapagos | Punta Vicente Roca | Snorkeling | Unprovoked | No |
| 03 Feb 2018 | Galapagos | Santa Fe Island | Snorkeling | Unprovoked | No |
| 03 Jul 2021 | Galapagos | Unknown | Diving | Unprovoked | No |
Related Questions
What type of sharks are in Ecuador? There are at least 40 types of sharks in Ecuador. The country has the world’s highest abundance of sharks, mainly around the Galapagos Islands. Some species, such as Galapagos Sharks and Galapagos Bullhead Sharks, can only be found in Ecuador.
Are there shark attacks in the Galapagos? There are eight confirmed unprovoked shark attacks in the Galapagos Islands. However, none of them was fatal. Most attacks in Galapagos involved activities such as surfing, snorkeling, or scuba diving. In general, shark attacks on the island are rare.
Are there sharks in Ecuador beaches? Ecuador beaches are chock-full of sharks, with at least 40 species living near the coast. However, shark attacks are very rare, especially on the beaches. There have been 11 attacks registered in the country since 1914, nine near the Galapagos.
Are there sharks on the Galapagos Islands? There are 40 species of sharks on the Galapagos Islands, some of which can only be found in this region. In addition, the Galapagos Marine Reserve is the second largest marine reserve in the world and boasts the world’s highest abundance of sharks.
Sources
- Shark Attack Data: https://www.sharkattackdata.com/place/ecuador
- Global Shark Attack File (GSAF): https://www.sharkattackfile.net/
- Florida Museum: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/
- International Shark Attack File (ISAF): https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/
- Galapagos Unbound: https://www.galapagosunbound.com/sharks-galapagos
- Article: In hot soup: sharks captured in Ecuador’s waters
