Blacktip reef shark

Carcharhinus melanopterus

Sharks and rays
IUCN: Vulnerable

Usual depth1–14 m
Water temperature24–30 °C
Best monthsJanuary, March, and December
How commonCommon

Photo credit: (c) Leon Brocard, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

The blacktip reef shark is a species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae, which can be easily identified by the prominent black tips on its fins. Among the most abundant sharks inhabiting the tropical coral reefs of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, this species prefers shallow, inshore waters. Its exposed first dorsal fin is a common sight in the region. The blacktip reef shark is usually found over reef ledges and sandy flats, though it has also been known to enter brackish and freshwater environments. It typically attains a length of 1.6 m (5.2 ft). Like other sharks, the females are larger than the males.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Blacktip reef shark”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 3,178 records
February: 2,476 records
March: 2,857 records
April: 2,828 records
May: 2,772 records
June: 2,675 records
July: 2,610 records
August: 2,695 records
September: 2,525 records
October: 2,770 records
November: 2,724 records
December: 3,617 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 1–14 m · Deepest record: 84 m

0–10 m: 15,476 records
10–20 m: 5,177 records
20–30 m: 352 records
30–40 m: 1 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 0 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 0 records
80–90 m: 1 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 24–30 °C

24–26 °C: 965 records
26–28 °C: 14 records
28–30 °C: 4 records

Photos

(c) Pauline Walsh Jacobson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Pauline Walsh Jacobson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Rachel Crane, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) John Hepburn, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Rachel Crane, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
(c) Solomon Islands Fish ID Project, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

Names and classification

English: Blacktip reef shark, Black-tipped Reef Shark, blacktip reef shark, Black-tip Reef Shark, Blacktip Reef Shark, Blacktip Shark, Black-tip Shark, Black Tip Shark, Guliman

Names in 8 more languages

German: Schwarzspitzen-Riffhai
Spanish: Tiburón de puntas negras, Tiburón Punta Negra
French: Requin à pointes noires, Requin pointe noire, Requin pointes noires
Indonesian: Hiu karang sirip hitam
Japanese: Tsumaguro, ツマグロ
Korean: 흑기흉상어
Thai: ปลาฉลามครีบดำ, ปลาฉลามหูดำ
Simplified Chinese: 大沙, 汙翅真鯊, 污翅白眼鮫, 烏翅真鯊, 黑鰭鯊

Other scientific names: Carcharhinus melanoptures, Carcharhinus melanoterus, Carcharias commersoni, Carcharias elegans, Carcharias marianensis, Carcharias melanopterus, Carcharias playfairii, Carcharinus melanoptera, Carcharinus melanopterus, Hypoprion playfairi, Squalus commersonii, Squalus ustus

Similar species

Grey reef shark
Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
224,290 open-data records from 1824 to 2023.
Species data updated October 26, 2026.

Log what you see on your next dive

The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.

Join the waitlist