Blacktip Reef Shark

Carcharhinus melanopterus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)

syn. Carcharhinus melanoptures, Carcharhinus melanoterus, Carcharias commersoni, Carcharias elegans, Carcharias marianensis, Carcharias melanopterus +7 more

1.6 - 2 m13.6 Kg1-75 mCITES IIDangerousVulnerable

1524

The blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus), a member of the Carcharhinidae family, is distinguished by the prominent black tips on its fins, notably on the first dorsal and caudal fins. This species is one of the most prevalent sharks in the tropical coral reefs of the 🇮🇳 Indian and 🌊 Pacific Oceans, favoring shallow, inshore waters. The blacktip reef shark's exposed first dorsal fin is frequently observed in these regions, predominantly over reef ledges and sandy flats. It can occasionally venture into brackish and freshwater habitats and generally reaches a length of 1.6 meters (5.2 feet), with females typically larger than males.

This species displays extremely limited home ranges and strong site fidelity, often remaining in a confined locale for several years. It actively preys on small bony fish, cephalopods, and crustaceans and, in rare cases, feeds on sea snakes and seabirds. Reports on the life history of the blacktip reef shark are inconsistent, partly due to geographical variability. As with other family members, it is viviparous, with females birthing two to five young on biennial, annual, or biannual cycles. Gestation lasts from 7 to 16 months. Mating involves males closely following females, likely drawn by chemical signals. Juveniles are typically found in shallower inshore waters, often in large groups in tidal areas.

While timid and skittish, the blacktip reef shark rarely poses a threat to humans unless food attracts them. Waders may inadvertently provoke an attack, risking mistaken identity bites. The species is exploited for meat, fins, and liver oil but is not commercially significant. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies it as Vulnerable due to overfishing and slow reproductive rates contributing to its decline in certain areas, despite its overall widespread presence.

The blacktip reef shark inhabits the nearshore waters of the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific region. Its range in the 🌊 Indian Ocean extends from 🇿🇦 South Africa to the 🌊 Red Sea, including 🇲🇺 Mauritius and the 🇸🇨 Seychelles, then eastward to Southeast Asia. In the Pacific, its presence spans from southern 🇨🇳 China and the 🇵🇭 Philippines to northern 🇦🇺 Australia and various oceanic islands. Reports suggest possible migratory patterns in the eastern Mediterranean via the Suez Canal (🇪🇬 Egypt).

Typically found at shallow depths, although sometimes at 75 meters (246 feet), this species frequently swims near shore with its dorsal fin exposed. Juveniles favor shallow, sandy flats, while adults frequent reef ledges and drop-offs. It may inhabit brackish estuaries and freshwater environments but cannot tolerate low salinity as well as the bull shark (C. leucas). In places like Aldabra (🇸🇨 Seychelles), individuals migrate between reef flats and mangroves as tides shift. Evidence suggests migratory behavior at the distribution's northern and southern extremes.

The blacktip reef shark's robust body displays a streamlined, typical shark form with a short, rounded snout and moderately large eyes. The dentition consists of 11 to 13 tooth rows per side on the upper jaw and 10 to 12 on the lower jaw. The teeth of adult males are more curved than those of females. The fins display characteristic black tips with lighter-colored borders, especially prominent on the first dorsal and lower caudal fin lobe. Most individuals reach a length of 1.6 meters, with some reaching 1.8 or 2.0 meters, and a maximum recorded weight of 13.6 kilograms (30 pounds).

As one of the most common reef-inhabiting sharks alongside the grey reef and whitetip reef sharks, the blacktip reef shark excels in shallow habitats. It is fast-swimming, active, and commonly observed alone or in small groups, though large social aggregations occur. Juveniles and adults do not typically segregate by sex except when pregnant females move to birthing habitats. Fidelity to specific areas is observed, often persisting for years.

The blacktip reef shark plays an integral role in the marine ecosystem as a top predator. Its diet mainly includes small teleost fishes, such as mullet and groupers, and occasionally squid, shrimp, and seabirds. In certain regions, it also preys on sea snakes. Miscellaneous items, such as algae and stones, have been noted in stomach contents during analysis.

Research indicates that the blacktip reef shark shows interest in stimuli such as splashing or metal tools, and scent from fish, regardless of health state. Lacking cone cells, its vision is adapted for detecting movement and contrast in low light. Electroreception enhances prey detection, with sensitivity up to 25 centimeters (10 inches).

The reproductive behavior of the blacktip reef shark varies geographically, with mating cycles influenced by environmental factors. Copulation involves specific courtship behaviors, and females give birth annually or biennially. Generally timid, the shark's proximity to human activities inadvertently increases encounter rates, yet most human interactions result from cases of mistaken identity rather than aggressive behavior.

Why it's threatened

Residential & commercial development

Housing & urban areas · Commercial & industrial areas · Tourism & recreation areas

Agriculture & aquaculture

Scale Unknown/Unrecorded

Biological resource use

Intentional use: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest] · Intentional use: (large scale) [harvest] · Unintentional effects: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest]

Human intrusions & disturbance

Recreational activities

Climate change & severe weather

Other impacts

The Blacktip Reef Shark is caught throughout its range in industrial and small scale longline, gillnet, trawl and handline fisheries that occur in continental shelf waters and those around oceanic islands and reefs, especially those around coral reefs. Most are taken as incidental catch in general reef fisheries targeting teleost fishes. For example, in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef it makes up 1.1% of shark catch in inshore gillnets (Harry et al. 2011) and 5% of sharks caught in the line fishery for reef teleosts (Heupel et al. 2009). In Indonesia it makes up 0.3% of the elasmobranch catch landed at the port of Muncar (Winter et al. In press). While in Fiji, Blacktip Reef Shark makes up more than half of the sharks landed in small scale artisanal coastal fisheries (Glaus et al. 2015). The species is also taken in small amounts by recreational fishers in some countries. There is limited species-specific catch trend data available for most countries, however, throughout much of the species' range there are intensive coastal fisheries that are likely to exert significant pressure on the stocks. In many parts of east Africa, and south and east Asian, there are large amounts of fishing effort targeted at carcharhinid sharks in continental shelf waters, and the effort continues to increase. For example, in the waters of Indonesia effort by small-scale fisheries has tripled when taking population into account (Ramenzoni 2017); and in Myanmar the International Labour Organisation (2015) estimated the number of vessels participating in the small scale inshore fishery to be about 26,000 in 2013, and the number of locally operated larger offshore vessels numbered 2,846 in 2013, having increased nearly 30% since 2009. Only in locations where fisheries are strictly regulated (e.g. Australia) (Espinoza et al. 2014), where human population densities are low (Nadon et al. 2012), or where dive-based tourism supports protection (Sutcliffe and Barnes 2018) are there low levels of threat that enable this species to remain common.

This species is a common display species in public and private aquaria. It is exported live from countries such as Australia and Indonesia to aquaria worldwide.

The reliance of this species on coral reefs makes it susceptible to declines in habitat quality. Global climate change has already resulted in large-scale coral bleaching events with increasing frequency causing worldwide reef degradation since 1997. Almost all warm-water coral reefs are projected to suffer significant losses of area and local extinctions, even if global warming is limited to 1.5 ºC (IPCC Report, 2019). Destructive fishing practices in some nations (e.g. dynamite fishing) (McManus 1997) and declining water quality (MacNeil et al. 2019) have also led to the decline in coral reef habitat.

Threat classification from the IUCN Red List.