Shark, blacktip
(Carcharhinus limbatus)
(Carcharhinus limbatus)
(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
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