Blacktip Shark
Carcharhinus limbatus
Summary 6
The blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus) is a species of requiem shark, family Carcharhinidae. It is common to coastal tropical and subtropical waters around the world, including brackish habitats. Genetic analyses have revealed substantial variation within this species, with populations from the western Atlantic Ocean isolated and distinct from those in the rest of its range. The blacktip shark has a stout, fusiform body with a pointed snout, long gill slits, and no ridge between the dorsal...
Description 7
Common names: shark (English), tiburón (Espanol)
Carcharhinus limbatus (Muller & Henle, 1839)
Blacktip shark
Body fusiform, relatively slender to stout; snout moderately long and narrowly pointed, its length 1.3-1.7 in distance between nostrils; eye small; nasal flaps low and broadly triangular; lip furrows short; upper and lower front teeth nearly symmetrical and similar, points narrow, straight, serrated; no ridge on back between dorsal fins; first dorsal fin moderately large, broad and falcate, its origin over or slightly behind pectoral fin axil, its height 8.2-13.8% of TL, tip pointed; origin of second dorsal about over or slightly in front of anal fin origin.
Grey brown dorsally, shading to white ventrally; a stripe of white to pale grey along midside extending into white of upper abdomen; black tips to all fins except upper lobe of tail fins.
Reported to reach 275 cm; size at birth 38-72 cm.
Habitat: Inshore to offshore pelagic, although not oceanic, in estuaries, shallow muddy bays, saline mangrove swamps.
Depth: 0-64 m.
Circumtropical distribution; California to Peru and the oceanic islands.
Distribution 8
Nova Scotia to Brazil
Morphology 9
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 0; Analspines: 0; Analsoft rays: 0
Size 10
Maximum size: 2600 mm TL
Description 11
Found on the continental and insular shelves, commonly on turbid lagoons, inshore waters, estuaries, shallow muddy bays, and mangrove swamps at depths less than 30 m, occasionally found in passes or outer reef slopes. Young are common along beaches (Ref. 9710). Active hunter in midwater (Ref. 5485). Feeds mainly on fishes, less on cephalopods and crustaceans. Viviparous; litter size 1-10 pups; 38-72 cm at birth. Incriminated in very few attacks but dangerous when provoked. Pregnant females migrate to nursery areas (Ref. 9710). Often taken by shore anglers (Ref. 5485). Used fresh for human consumption, hides for leather, liver for oil.
I dnature guides 12
Identification key for shorefishes of the tropical eastern Pacific
Habitat 13
nektonic
Diet 14
Feeds mainly on pelagic and benthic fishes, also small sharks and rays, cephalopods and crustaceans
Life cycle 15
Distinct pairing with embrace (Ref. 205). Viviparous, with a yolk-sac placenta, 1 to 10 young per litter. Gestation period is 10 to 12 months. Nursery and pupping grounds are located inshore where pregnant females go to drop their young. Females are thought to spawn only every two years. Size at birth 38-72 cm (Ref. 244); 55-66 cm TL (Ref.58048).
Reproduction 16
Female blacktips are viviparous and contain a yolk-sac placenta. The number of offspring per litter ranges from 1-10 (usually 4-7)(Compagno, 1984).
Gestation of the young lasts anywhere from 10-12 months (Compagno, 1984). The young are born in late spring or early summer. Pregnant females move inshore to drop their young in nursery and pupping grounds. Young are believed to be produced in alternate years by each female blacktip (Compagno, 1984).
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
Sex: female: 2555 days.
Link to Access Genomic Data 17
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=61865&lvl=0
Sources and Credits
- (c) Laurens, some rights reserved (CC BY-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/47456200@N04/4361915401/
- (c) amateur_photo_bore, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/50826105@N00/3476233437
- (c) John E. Randall, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://d1iraxgbwuhpbw.cloudfront.net/images/species/calim_f0.jpg
- (c) John E. Randall, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://d1iraxgbwuhpbw.cloudfront.net/images/species/calim_m0.jpg
- (c) John E. Randall, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://d1iraxgbwuhpbw.cloudfront.net/images/species/calim_f1.jpg
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcharhinus_limbatus
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Shorefishes of the tropical eastern Pacific online information system. www.stri.org/sftep, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/26219465
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) WoRMS for SMEBD, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/28471425
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) FishBase, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/20846327
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) FishWise Professional, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/24187930
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) WoRMS for SMEBD, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/28495673
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Discover Life and original sources, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11585896
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) WoRMS for SMEBD, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/28475354
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) WoRMS for SMEBD, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/28476521
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) FishBase, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/20846331
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/18638324
- (c) matbio, all rights reserved
