Carcharhinus melanopterus Shark Jaws
Not to be confused with blacktip shark.
Blacktip reef shark, Carcharhinus melanopterus, is a small shark measuring up to 2 m with a short, bluntly rounded snout, oval eyes, and narrow-cusped teeth; second dorsal fin large; no interdorsal ridge. Yellow-brown above, white below; all fins conspicuous with black or dark brown tips also anterior and posterior dark edging on pectoral fins and upper lobe of caudal fin; a prominent black tip of first dorsal fin set off abruptly by a light band below it; a conspicuous dark band on flanks, extending rearward to pelvic fins. Maximum weight: 13.6 kg; frequents depth ranges from shallows to 75 m.
Commonly found in shallow waters on and near coral reefs and occasionally in brackish waters.
Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to the Hawaiian Islands and the Tuamotu Archipelago. Apparently rare or absent in the more easterly groups. Also eastern Mediterranean (through the Suez Canal). Inhabits shallow water close inshore on coral reefs and in the intertidal zone (reef flats), near reef dropoffs and close offshore. Also found in mangrove areas, moving in and out with the tide and even in fresh water, but not in tropical lakes and rivers far from the sea. Occurs singly or in small groups. This is one of the three most common reef sharks in the Indo-Pacific, the two others are the Grey Reef shark, Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos and Whitetip Reef shark, Triaenodon obesus. Prefers fishes but also feeds on crustaceans, cephalopods and other mollusks.
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Order: | Carcharhiniformes |
| Family: | Carcharhinidae |
| Genus: | Carcharhinus |
| Species: | C. melanopterus |
| Name | Size | Item # | Price | |
 |
7.25 X 5.5 | BLACKTIPREEF1 | $65.00 |