ExploreFish

Blacktip Reef Shark

Carcharhinus melanopterus

Blacktip Reef Sharks have black tips on their fins! They are commonly found in coral reefs.

Habitat: Coral reefs

Appearance

The Blacktip Reef Shark has a sleek, torpedo-shaped body with a distinctive dark or black tip on all of its fins, especially prominent on the dorsal fin. Its back is brownish-grey, fading to white on its belly, a pattern called countershading, helping it blend into its reef surroundings.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassElasmobranchiiOrderCarcharhiniformesFamilyCarcharhinidaeGenusCarcharhinus

Blacktip Reef Shark

Interesting facts

Baby Blacktip Reef Sharks are called 'pups' and are born ready to hunt on their own.

These sharks are often seen swimming in waters so shallow their dorsal fins stick out!

They are viviparous, giving birth to live pups, not laying eggs like some other sharks!

Unlike many fish, Blacktip Reef Sharks must swim constantly to breathe and stay alive.

Special abilities

Blacktip Reef Sharks can sense faint electrical fields emitted by prey because of special pores called Ampullae of Lorenzini, helping them hunt in murky waters.

Blacktip Reef Sharks have an incredible sense of smell that helps them detect tiny amounts of blood in the water from far away, guiding them to food.

Blacktip Reef Sharks have countershading, a dark back and light belly, that helps them blend into the water from above and below, surprising prey.

Measurements & details

Length: 160-200 cm
Weight: 10-20 kg
Lifespan: 10-18 years
Swim Speed: 40 km/h
Max Depth: 75 m
Water Type: Saltwater

Diet & Feeding

These speedy sharks love to eat small fish and squid found swimming in the warm, shallow reef waters.

Primary Foods

mullet
groupers
snappers
squid
octopus
crustaceans

Foraging Method

Pursuit

Ecological connections

hunts

Bluestripe Snapper

Lutjanus kasmira

A common reef fish prey.

hunts

Foxface Rabbitfish

Siganus vulpinus

A small reef fish that is hunted.

eaten by

Tiger Shark

Galeocerdo cuvier

Larger sharks prey on them.

Traits

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