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Blacktip
Shark World
Record
~ 270 Lbs 9 oz caught off Kenya in 1995 Scientific
name
~ Carcharhinus Limbatus Other
names ~ Blacktip Whaler, Common Blacktip, Small Black tip, Blackfin Identification
~ Blacktip sharks are stout bodied with a moderately long and pointed
snout. The blacktip shark is dark gray/blue to brown above, and white
below with a distinct white band across the flank. The black tips found
on the pectoral fins, first and second dorsals, pelvic fins, and lower
caudal lobe are very apparent, though they tend to fade with age. Size
~ The Blacktip Shark can reach a length of
8 feet. Average adult size is around 5 feet, weighing about 40
lbs. Male Blacktip's mature at 4-5 years , and females 6-7 years. The
maximum age of a Blacktip is thought to be at least 12 years. Habitat
~ The Blacktip Shark inhabits inshore and offshore waters, but is not a
truly pelagic species. They are often seen near shore around river
mouths, bays, mangrove swamps, and in other estuaries, though they do
not penetrate far into freshwater. They can be found offshore and over
deep waters near coral reef drop-offs, but primarily stay in the upper
100 feet of water. A
wide ranging species, the Blacktip shark is found in tropical to
subtropical coastal, shelf, and island waters. In the Atlantic during
their seasonal migration they range from Nova Scotia to Brazil, but
their center of abundance is in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.
They occur throughout the Mediterranean and along the central West coast
of Africa. In the Pacific they range from Southern California to Peru,
including the Sea of Cortez. They occur at the Galapagos Islands,
Hawaii, Tahiti, and other South Pacific Islands, to the North coast of
Australia. In the Indian Ocean they range from South Africa and
Madagascar up to the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, throughout India's coast,
and east to the coast of China. Feeding
Habits
~ The Blacktip Shark primarily feeds on small schooling fishes such as
herring, sardines, menhaden, mullet, and anchovies. Crustaceans and
squids are also occasionally taken. Blacktips are known to breach out of
the water while feeding, sometimes spinning up to three or four times
around their axis. This behavior
is thought to facilitate the sharks' predatory success while feeding on
schools of fish near the surface. The sharks vertically attack the
school at high speed, snapping at the fish as they pass through it. The
momentum then carries them through the ocean's surface. This action
makes them exciting gamefish.
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