Blacktip Reef Shark Research Paper

The Blacktip Reef Shark is native to the tropical coral reefs of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The Blacktip is listed under kingdom animalia, phylum chordata, class Chondrichthyes, order Carcharhiniformes, family Carcharhinidae, and genus Carcharhinus. This shark was given its name based off of the blacktip at the end of its dorsal fin. This fin appears very vivid in the shark’s youth, but fades with age. The Blacktip Reef Shark will most likely grow to be 4.9 feet and weigh roughly 40 pounds, living up to be twelve-years-old. Blacktips’ main predators are larger sharks, although, they do rank fairly high on the marine life food chain. Blacktips are known to be thick bodied with fairly long and pointed snouts. Due to the fact that this shark does not have a swimming bladder, they need to remain in motion at all times to avoid suffocation or drowning. Along with their obvious black tipped dorsal fins, they acquire a blueish brown to tan color along their backs and …show more content…
They enjoy feeding on small fish, crustaceans, sea snakes, and some seabirds. The Blacktip Reef Shark is known for its strategic and unique way of hunting fish; the shark pushed itself out of the water, spins, landing on its back, attracting fish closer to the surface. The Blacktip Reef Shark is incredibly skittish and avoids human interaction as much as we attempt to avoid it. Although, because we do interfere with their environment, there have been several reports of Blacktip Reef Shark accidentally biting humans wading in shallow waters or surfers who were mistaken for other sea life. Blacktips can be accounted for 28 attacks in the US, although, none ended in fatality. They are held responsible for nearly 16% of Florida’s shark attacks. It may seem that Blacktip Reef Sharks are the real predators when it comes to man vs. shark, but in reality, we harm their species more than one would