Blacktip reef shark
Carcharhinus melanopterus
VulnerablePhoto: Luc Viatour · CC BY-SA 3.0
Fishcarnivore
The blacktip reef shark is a sleek, medium-sized shark with striking black markings on its fins. It thrives in the warm, shallow waters around coral reefs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Often spotted cruising near the surface, it's one of the most common sharks in tropical reef habitats.
- Identified by bold black tips on its dorsal and tail fins.
- Females grow slightly larger than males, reaching up to 1.6 meters long.
- Sometimes ventures into brackish or freshwater areas near coasts.
OceanCoral reefFreshwaterAsiaAustralia
Read more on WikipediaAt a glance
- Classification
- Fish
- Scientific name
- Carcharhinus melanopterus
- Habitat
- Ocean, Coral reef, Freshwater
- Regions in this directory
- Asia, Australia
- Diet
- carnivore
- Relative size
- medium
- IUCN Red List
- Vulnerable (VU)