Name: Blacktip shark, blacktip whaler, spot-fin ground shark
Scientific Name: Carcharhinus limbatus (Valenciennes, 1839)
Family: Carcharhinidae
Group: Sharks, rays and chimaeras
Class: Fish
Size: 201-400 cm.
Although it is rarely responsible for attacks on humans, this shark should be treated with respect, especially by underwater hunters carrying dead fish. It swims quickly and continuously in reefs, estuaries, mangroves, and lagoons and sometimes in waters far from the coast. This species is particularly vulnerable to intensive fishing, as its growth and reproduction are slow. In fact, the females only reproduce in alternate years and their gestation period is long (1 year). They give birth to few young (1 to 10), measuring about 40-70 cm. As with other requiem sharks, fertilisation is internal.
Photo by:
www.flmnh.ufl.edu
Global Ocean
