 Whitetip reef sharks generally remain within a highly localized area; only rarely do they undertake long movements, wandering for a while before settling down somewhere new. One study at Johnston Atoll found that none of the sharks examined had moved more than 3 km (1.9 mi) away from their original capture location over periods of up to a year. Another study at Rangiroa Atoll in French Polynesia found that, after more than three years, around 40 % of the originally tagged sharks were still present on the same reef where they were first captured. An individual shark may rest inside the same cave for months to years. The daytime home range of a whitetip reef shark is limited to approximately 0.05 km2 (0.019 sq mi); at night this range increases to 1 km2 (0.39 sq mi). These sharks are not territorial and share their home ranges with others of their species; they do not perform threat displays.
