AnimalvsAnimal
Black tip reef shark out for a cruise in Moorea, French Polynesia. (9220451871)🦈

Photo: Derek Keats · CC BY 2.0

SpeciesCarcharhiniformesCarcharhinidae
Sharks & rays

🦈Blacktip reef shark

Carcharhinus melanopterus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)

The blacktip reef shark is a species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae, which can be easily identified by the prominent black tips on its fins. Among the most abundant sharks inhabiting the tropical coral reefs of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, this species prefers shallow, inshore waters. Its exposed first dorsal fin is a common sight in the region. The blacktip reef shark is usually found over reef ledges and sandy flats, though it has also been known to enter brackish and freshwater environments. It typically attains a length of 1.6 m (5.2 ft). Like other sharks, the females are larger than the males.

Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Videos
3
Photos
3
Measurements
4
Conservation status
VUVulnerable

IUCN Red List assessment, 2020.

Population trendDecreasing
Key measurements
Body mass
not recorded
Body length
2 m
Shoulder height
not recorded
Top speed
not recorded
Bite force
not recorded
Maximum lifespan
not recorded
All measurements ↓
Facts and figures

Everything we know about the Blacktip reef shark

Typical adult figures. Where a value is an estimate rather than a measurement, it says so.

Body length
2 mmaximum recorded
FishBase
Details ↓

Source: FishBase · v25.04 · CC BY-NC 4.0

Trophic level
3.94
FishBase
Details ↓

Source: FishBase · v25.04, estimate table · CC BY-NC 4.0

Diet
carnivoreaverage
Details ↓

From trophic level 3.94 (FishBase): <2.2 herbivore, 2.2–2.8 omnivore, >2.8 carnivore.

Danger to humans
traumatogenic
FishBase
Details ↓

Source: FishBase · v25.04 · CC BY-NC 4.0

average = a mean across sexes or species in a group.

Not recorded for Blacktip reef shark yet: body mass, shoulder height, top speed, bite force, maximum lifespan.

More

More about the Blacktip reef shark

In other languages
大沙 (zh), Tubarão-de-pontas-negras-do-recife (pt), Žralok čiernohrotý (sk), Мальгашская ночная акула (ru), Requin à pointes noires (fr), Carcharhinus melanopterus (es) … and 23 more languages

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