Sharks Codexery

Blacktip reef shark

A small, site-attached reef shark with distinctive black fin tips.

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Blacktip reef shark

Charles J. Sharp · via Wikipedia: Blacktip reef shark · CC BY-SA 4.0

The blacktip reef shark is a common predator of shallow coral reefs across the Indo-Pacific.[1] Those bold black fin tips highlighted by lighter-colored borders are what give this species its common name.[2][3]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassChondrichthyes
  4. SubclassElasmobranchii
  5. DivisionSelachii
  6. OrderCarcharhiniformes
  7. FamilyCarcharhinidae
  8. GenusCarcharhinus
  9. SpeciesCarcharhinus melanopterus

Named by (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)

Close relatives

Other species of Carcharhinus with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Blacktip reef shark (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 105795 (CC BY 4.0)

Conservation status

Vulnerable (VU)

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU▲ this species
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2020

Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category

How big is it?

Size comparison: Blacktip reef shark and a personA 2 m long blacktip reef shark drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.2 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 2 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Blacktip reef shark

Description

Blacktip reef sharks have a streamlined, sturdy body, a short rounded snout, and oval eyes.[4] You'll see a tall, S-shaped first dorsal fin, and there's no ridge running between the two dorsal fins.[3] The pectoral fins are big and curve like a sickle, narrowing down to pointed tips.[3] This shark's back is a pale grayish-brown, its belly is white, and a white band runs along each side.[3]

Most of these sharks max out at about 1.6 meters long, but occasionally you'll find one that reaches 1.8 meters, or maybe even 2.0 meters.[3]

Biology and ecology

Groups may herd schools of fish against the shore to make them easier to catch.[5] They see best by spotting movement and contrast, and they can also pick up electrical signals from prey.[6] The species is viviparous, meaning the young develop inside the mother and are born live.[7] Females give birth in shallow nursery areas inside the reef from September to November.[8]

Bigger fish like groupers, grey reef sharks, tiger sharks, and even members of their own species will snack on small blacktip reef sharks.[9] Known parasites include several tapeworms and a monogenean that causes skin lesions.[9] A mother gives birth to 2 to 5 pups, usually 4, and newborns in the Indian Ocean and off northern Australia measure between 40 and 50 centimeters long.[8]

Distribution and habitat

You'll find them from South Africa and the Red Sea to Southeast Asia, northern Australia, New Caledonia, and many Pacific islands including the Marshall, Gilbert, Society, and Hawaiian Islands and Tuamotu.[10][11] They usually stay in water just a few meters deep, but people have spotted them as deep as 75 meters.[12] Their home range is tiny—about 0.55 km²—one of the smallest of any shark.[13] They sometimes swim into brackish estuaries and even freshwater, but they can't handle low salinity as well as bull sharks can.[14]

Human interactions

As of late 2025, the International Shark Attack File lists 14 unprovoked attacks attributed to this species.[15] Most bites are on the legs or feet of waders and do not cause serious injury.[15] It may become aggressive around bait and can threaten spear fishers.[16] Coastal fisheries catch them, but they're not a commercial target.[17]

Its meat, liver oil, and fins are used.[17] Overfishing has caused big declines in many local populations.[18] They don't reproduce quickly, so their numbers struggle to recover after heavy fishing.[18]

Taxonomy and phylogeny

They called it Carcharias melanopterus—from Greek words for 'black' and 'fin'.[2] Later scientists moved it to the genus Carcharhinus, and in 1965 it became the type species for that group.[19] Its closest relatives aren't clear—studies suggest links to the nervous shark and a few other species.[20][21]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Blacktip reef shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Compagno, L.J.V., "Sharks of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Shark Species Known to Date", Food and Agricultural Organization, 1984, p. 487–489; Springer, "Social organization of shark populations", Sharks, Skates, and Rays, 1967, p. 149–174 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Blacktip reef shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Compagno, L.J.V., "Sharks of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Shark Species Known to Date", Food and Agricultural Organization, 1984, p. 487–489; "Poissons de l'Océan Indien, les îles Maldives", Réalisations Éditoriales Pédagogiques, 1990, p. 27 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Blacktip reef shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Compagno, L.J.V., "Sharks of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Shark Species Known to Date", Food and Agricultural Organization, 1984, p. 487–489; (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Blacktip reef shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Compagno, L.J.V., "Sharks of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Shark Species Known to Date", Food and Agricultural Organization, 1984, p. 487–489; "Coastal Fishes of Oman", University of Hawaii Press, 1995, p. 33; Press, M. Biological Profiles: Blacktip Reef Shark . Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department. Retrieved on October 3, 2009. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Blacktip reef shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Erfahrungen mit Haien", Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie, 1959, p. 733–746; Compagno, L.J.V., "Sharks of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Shark Species Known to Date", Food and Agricultural Organization, 1984, p. 487–489; ; Fowler, S.L., "Sharks, Rays and Chimaeras: The Status of the Chondrichthyan Fishes", International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 2005, p. 296–297; "Predation on aquatic snakes by sharks from northern Australia", Copeia, 1987, p. 802–803; "Distribution, size frequency, en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Blacktip reef shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Stevens, J. D., "Life history and ecology of sharks at Aldabra Atoll, Indian Ocean", Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, 1984, p. 79–106; "Visual target discrimination in blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus melanopterus) and grey sharks (C. menisorrah)", Pacific Science, 1966, p. 461–471; "Range of electrosensory detection of prey by Carcharhinus melanopterus and Himantura granulata", Marine and Freshwater Research, 2001, p. 291–296; Hobson, E.S., "Feeding behavior in three species of sharks", Pacific Science, 1963, p. 171–193; en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Blacktip reef shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lyle, J.M., "Observations on the Biology of Carcharhinus cautus (Whitley), C. melanopterus (Quoy & Gainard) and C. fitzroyensis (Whitley) from Northern Australia", Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 19; Porcher, I.F., "On the gestation period of the blackfin reef shark, Carcharhinus melanopterus, in waters off Moorea, French Polynesia", Marine Biology, April 2005, p. 1207–1211; Stevens, J. D., "Life history and ecology of sharks at Aldabra Atoll, Indian Ocean", Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, 1984, p en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Blacktip reef shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Scale-dependent effects of habitat on movements and path structure of reef sharks at a predator-dominated atoll", Ecology, April 2009, p. 996–1008; Lyle, J.M., "Observations on the Biology of Carcharhinus cautus (Whitley), C. melanopterus (Quoy & Gainard) and C. fitzroyensis (Whitley) from Northern Australia", Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 19; Porcher, I.F., "On the gestation period of the blackfin reef shark, Carcharhinus melanopterus, in waters off Moorea, French Polynesia", Marine Biology, April 2005, p. en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Blacktip reef shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Scale-dependent effects of habitat on movements and path structure of reef sharks at a predator-dominated atoll", Ecology, April 2009, p. 996–1008; "Anthobothrium lesteri n. sp. (Cestoda: Tetraphyllidea) in Carcharhinus melanopterus from Heron Island, Australia, with comments on its site, mode of attachment, reproductive strategy and membership of the genus", System; "Nybelinia queenslandensis sp. n. (Cestoda: Trypanorhyncha) parasitic in Carcharhinus melanopterus, from Australia, with observations on the fine structure of the scol en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Blacktip reef shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Coastal Fishes of Oman", University of Hawaii Press, 1995, p. 33 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Blacktip reef shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Fowler, S.L., "Sharks, Rays and Chimaeras: The Status of the Chondrichthyan Fishes", International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 2005, p. 296–297; "Confirmation of blacktip shark, Carcharhinus limbatus, in the Ryukyu Islands and notes on possible absence of C. melanopterus in Japanese waters", Ichthyological Research, May 25, 1999, p. 193–198; coola2coola, "Black Tip Reef shark, Spearfishing in Okinawa, Japan #1", 2013-03-09; "シャークのジン: It's my life! 石垣島", It's my life! 石垣島; Fowler, S.L., "Sharks, Rays and C en.wikipedia.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Blacktip reef shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; Compagno, L.J.V., "Sharks of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Shark Species Known to Date", Food and Agricultural Organization, 1984, p. 487–489 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  13. Wikipedia, "Blacktip reef shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Scale-dependent effects of habitat on movements and path structure of reef sharks at a predator-dominated atoll", Ecology, April 2009, p. 996–1008; Stevens, J. D., "Life history and ecology of sharks at Aldabra Atoll, Indian Ocean", Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, 1984, p. 79–106 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  14. Wikipedia, "Blacktip reef shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Compagno, L.J.V., "Sharks of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Shark Species Known to Date", Food and Agricultural Organization, 1984, p. 487–489; Stevens, J. D., "Life history and ecology of sharks at Aldabra Atoll, Indian Ocean", Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, 1984, p. 79–106; Compagno, L.J.V., "Sharks of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Shark Species Known to Date", Food and Agricultural Organization, 1984, p. 487–489 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  15. Wikipedia, "Blacktip reef shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Compagno, L.J.V., "Sharks of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Shark Species Known to Date", Food and Agricultural Organization, 1984, p. 487–489; ISAF Statistics on Attacking Species of Shark. International Shark Attack File, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida. Retrieved on May 18, 2; Compagno, L.J.V., "Sharks of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Shark Species Known to Date", Food and Agricultural Organization, 1984, p. 487–489 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  16. Wikipedia, "Blacktip reef shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Compagno, L.J.V., "Sharks of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Shark Species Known to Date", Food and Agricultural Organization, 1984, p. 487–489 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  17. Wikipedia, "Blacktip reef shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Fowler, S.L., "Sharks, Rays and Chimaeras: The Status of the Chondrichthyan Fishes", International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 2005, p. 296–297; (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  18. Wikipedia, "Blacktip reef shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Fowler, S.L., "Sharks, Rays and Chimaeras: The Status of the Chondrichthyan Fishes", International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 2005, p. 296–297; "Distribution, size frequency, and sex ratios of blacktip reef sharks Carcharhinus melanopterus at Palmyra Atoll: a predator-dominated ecosystem", Journal of Fish Biology, September 16, 2009, p. 647–654; "Confirmation of blacktip shark, Carcharhinus limbatus, in the Ryukyu Islands and notes on possible absence of C. melanopterus in Japanese waters", Ichthyologica en.wikipedia.org
  19. Wikipedia, "Blacktip reef shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Compagno, L.J.V., "Sharks of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Shark Species Known to Date", Food and Agricultural Organization, 1984, p. 487–489; "Coastal Fishes of Oman", University of Hawaii Press, 1995, p. 33; (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  20. Wikipedia, "Blacktip reef shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Garrick, J.A.F. (1982). Sharks of the genus Carcharhinus. NOAA Technical Report, NMFS CIRC–445. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  21. Wikipedia, "Blacktip reef shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Naylor, G.J.P., "The phylogenetic relationships among requiem and hammerhead sharks: inferring phylogeny when thousands of equally most parsimonious trees result", Cladistics, 1992, p. 295–318 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Blacktip reef shark (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. Who first scientifically described the blacktip reef shark?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Joseph Paul Gaimard.

2. What is the IUCN Red List category of the blacktip reef shark?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Vulnerable.

3. To which genus does the blacktip reef shark belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Carcharhinus.

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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