Blacktip Shark Size report

The Blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus) has always been easily confused with the smaller blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus). As the name suggests, blacktip reef sharks love the warm waters on and around coral reefs. And blacktip sharks prefer to spend most of their time in open water.

The blacktip shark gets its name from the distinctive black markings on the tips of its fins. This marine species is medium size in the shark family, with a stocky body, long gill slits, and a pointed snout. Also, its belly is white, but its back is usually dark gray to brown.

Blacktip sharks are medium and large sharks that inhabit the coast, offshore, bays, beaches, reefs, estuaries, and lagoons. It mainly feeds on bony fishes but also preys on other sharks, crustaceans, cephalopods, etc. They are very fearful and rarely aggressively attack people, but it is always dangerous to provoke these predators. Let's get more information about blacktip sharks.

Blacktip Shark Size And Characteristics

Protruding black tips on all fins distinguish this species from others that could otherwise be easily confused. The blacktip shark may be confused with the blacktip reef shark, but a thicker body characterizes the blacktip shark without a black tip on the dorsal fin. The body of a blacktip shark is spindle-shaped, and the trunk is stout. The head is broad and flat. The anterior nasal valve is short and triangular, not elongated; no oronasal grooves or vibrissae. The mouth is wide and arc-shaped, and the upper and lower jaws are tightly closed when the mouth is closed, without showing teeth. Each has two dorsal fins, without ridges between dorsal fins. Their caudal fin is wide and long, and the caudal vertebral axis is upward, with a prominent triangular protrusion in front of the lower lobe. The dorsal side of the body is dark gray or taupe, the ventral side is grayish white, and the side of the body has obvious white stripes; except for the upper lobe of the caudal fin, which usually has a black margin, the tips of each fin are black.

Average Size Of Blacktip Shark

Blacktip sharks are medium-sized sharks with distinct, pointed noses. Newborn blacktip sharks can reach a length of 53-65 cm. Blacktip Sharks have an average length between 1.5-2.5 meters and a body width of 19-29 centimeters when fully grown. The typical weight of the adult blacktip shark is in the range of 150-270 lbs (68-122 kg).

Lifespan and Reproduction

Blacktip sharks are viviparous. The mating season is from March to June; the gestation usually takes 11 to 12 months. Males mature by the age of 4 or 5, and females reach maturity later, at age 6-7; they will continue to have pups for life. Blacktip sharks have a typical lifespan of between 12-16 years.

Living Habits

Blacktip sharks are found mainly in tropical to subtropical coastal areas, on continental shelves, and around islands. Their habitats include reef areas, sandy mud bottoms, estuaries, offshore coasts, lagoons, and warm waters in reef-sand mixed areas. They also inhabit shallow waters far away from the sea, but they are rarely found at depths exceeding 30 meters.

They can tolerate low-salinity seawater and often appear on the sea surface in large groups. Blacktip sharks have an unusual habit of jumping out of the water, spinning up to three times, usually with their back into the water; this behavior, and similar morphologies, are often confused with the short-tip shark.

Final Words

Blacktip sharks are widely prized for their meat and fins, which has led to a dramatic decline in the species' population due to overfishing. It is the most commonly caught species in India's large fisheries. Blacktip sharks have long been important in recreational fisheries and are a prime target for commercial fisheries from South Carolina to Florida and throughout the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. There is no doubt that humans pose a threat to blacktip sharks due to accidental capture in fishing nets, commercial fisheries, and local fisherman overfishing.