Voltar

Blacktip reef shark

Biology

This shark is a fast and active swimmer, with preference for the shallow waters of coral reefs. In fact, its fins are often seen breaking the surface of the water in the tidal zone, at depths as low as 30 centimetres. Fertilisation is internal and after 16 months' gestation, the females give birth to between 2 and 4 young, fully formed and measuring about 50 centimetres.

Conservation

Blacktip sharks are often caught accidentally as bycatch from other fisheries. Like many other species of shark, blacktip populations are declining.

Curiosities

In Hawaii, some families see this shark as their "aumakua," or guardian spirit. For this reason, they feed them and rarely kill them.