Blacktip Shark

Family Carcharhinidae, REQUIEM SHARKS
Carcharhinus limbatus

Description: dark bluish gray (young paler) above, whitish below; distinctive whitish stripe on flank; inside tip of pectoral fin conspicuously black; dorsal fin, anal fin, and lower lobe of caudal fin also black-tipped in young, fading with growth; 1st dorsal fin begins above axil of pectoral fin; snout long, almost v-shaped from below; no mid dorsal ridge; upper and lower teeth serrated, nearly symmetrical.

Size: to 2.5 m (8.25 ft.).

Where found: principally pelagic, but often comes inshore in large schools, particularly in association with Spanish mackerel; frequently the most common shark (especially young) in clear-water cuts and along beaches in Florida and Bahamas.

Similar species: in the Spinner Shark the 1st dorsal fin begins above a point behind the pectoral fin, and the snout is longer.

*The Florida records quoted are from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and are not necessarily the most current ones. The records are provided as only as a benchmark.