Animal Corner

Discover the many amazing animals that live on our planet.

  • Home
  • A-Z Animals
  • Anatomy
  • Glossary
  • Animal Lists
    • Animal By Letter
    • Animals by Location
    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
  • Free Resources
    • Animal Coloring Pages
    • Animal Jokes
    • Animal Quizzes
  • Pets
    • Dog Breeds
    • Rabbit Breeds
    • Cat Breeds
    • Pet Rodents
    • Animal Care
  • Blog
You are here: Home / Animals / Blacktip Shark

Blacktip Shark

Image Source

 Blacktip Shark Characteristics

The Blacktip Shark is a large shark, native to the continental and insular shelves of tropical and warm temperate seas around the world. The Blacktip shark is a large, stout shark which is grey in color and normally has black-tipped fins. The Blacktip shark has a long, narrow, pointed snout, long gill slits, a large first dorsal fin and quite a large second dorsal fin.

Like its close relative the Spinner shark (C. brevipinna) the Blacktip shark is a fast swimming shark capable not only of breaching but also of rotating (spinning) several times before re-entering the water.

The Blacktip shark is non-aggressive and would be unlikely to attack humans without being provoked. There is some evidence of segregation with some populations showing separation between groups of adult males and non-pregnant females and pregnant females and young Blacktip sharks.

Blacktip Shark Diet

Blacktip sharks feed mainly on a wide range of bony fish including sardines, herring, mullet, jacks and Spanish mackerel. Blacktip sharks are also known to eat the young of other sharks including dusky sharks and some cephalopods (a mollusc class) and crustaceans (lobsters, crabs, shrimp, crayfish and barnacles).

Blacktip Shark Reproduction

The Blacktip shark is viviparous (the embryo develops inside the body of the mother, as opposed to outside in an egg) and has a yolk-sac placenta with 1 – 10 pups per litter. The gestation period is around 10 to 12 months and females are thought to breed every other year.

Blacktip Shark Conservation Status

The Blacktip shark is classed as ‘Vulnerable’. Its flesh is used fresh, dried or salted for consumption, its hide is used for leather and its liver for oil. It is occasionally taken as a game fish and often by shore anglers. It has not been indicated in unprovoked attacks against humans but is potentially dangerous.

Not to be confused with the Blacktip Reef Shark. The Blacktip Shark is also featured in our Galapagos Shark section.

 

Check out more animals that begin with the letter B

More Fascinating Animals to Learn About

  • Blacktip Reef Shark
  • Galapagos Black Tipped Shark
  • Caribbean Reef Shark
  • Galapagos Silky Shark
  • Galapagos Hammerhead Shark
  • Nurse Shark

About Joanne Spencer

I've always been passionate about animals which led me to a career in training and behaviour. As an animal professional I'm committed to improving relationships between people and animals to bring them more happiness.

Animal Classification

Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Chondrichthyes
Superorder:Selachimorpha
Order:Carcharhiniformes
Family:Carcharhinidae
Genus:Carcharhinus
Species:C. limbatus
Binomial name:Carcharhinus limbatus

Search

Most Popular Animals

  • Zebras
  • Aquatic Warbler
  • Atlantic Dolphins
  • Trapdoor Spider
  • Giraffe
  • Meerkats
  • Timber Wolf
  • Praying Mantis
  • Huntsman Spider
  • Vampire Bat

Galapagos Islands

galapagos-islands

Animal Names Glossary

Animal Names

British Wildlife

british-wildlife

Mammals

anatomy

Dog Breeds

dog breeds

Farm Animals

Farm Animals

Best of the Blog

  • 21 Amazing Animals that live in Lakes
  • What are the Fastest Animals in the World?
  • 31 Animals with Weird and Funny Sounding Names
  • Top 15 Deadliest Animals in the World
  • Ophiophagy – Examples of animals that eat snakes
  • List of Fascinating Solitary Animals

Copyright © 2005-2022 · Animal Corner · All Rights Reserved · Affiliate Disclaimer · Privacy Policy · Animals Sitemap . About Us

AnimalCorner.org is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.