(Muller & Henle, 1839); CARCHARHINIDAE
FAMILY; also called black fin shark, common
blacktip
A cosmopolitan species, blacktip sharks are
found worldwide in warm temperate and
tropical waters. They can be found inshore
and offshore, on or adjacent to continental
and insular shelves. Blacktips occupy a
variety of habitats and can be found off
river mouths and estuaries, as well as in
muddy bays, mangrove swamps, lagoons, and
coral reef drop-offs. An active midwater
hunter, their diet consists of pelagic and
benthic fishes, as well as small sharks,
rays, cephalopods, and crustaceans. They are
dark grey, ashy blue or dusky bronze on the
back, with a white or yellowish-white belly.
Other visual characteristics include
persistent black spots on the tips of the
pelvic fins and a dark band extending
rearward along each side of the body, back
to about the beginning of the pelvic fin.
The blacktip is a stout shark that sports a
long, slender, pointed snout, as well as
long gill slits and upright, narrow-cusped
upper teeth. Anglers often confuse the
spinning acrobatics of blacktips with their
close relative, the spinner shark (Carcharhinus
brevipinna). However, a close inspection of
the anal fin can separate the two, as a
blacktip’s lacks pigment.
Blacktip sharks are extremely popular with
anglers because they take a variety of live
and dead bait, lures and even flies. They
are an outstanding game fish at all sizes
and known for their determined runs and
their tendency of making spiraling leaps.
