Common name:
Blacktip shark
Scientific name:
Carcharhinus limbatus
Spanish name:
Tiburón de puntas negras
Conservation status:
Vulnerable
Average lifespan:
10+ years
Average size:
2 metres
Maximum size:
2.4 metres
Average weight:
60 kilograms
Maximum weight:
100 kilograms
The blacktip shark is a common shark which can be found across all the world’s oceans. It prefers warm, shallow coastal waters and estuaries as opposed to the deep open ocean. It is small to average-sized with a short, bluntly rounded snout and horizontally oval eyes. It is dark grey in colour with black marks on the ends of all its fins. This species reaches maturity at about four to five years of age and often lives longer than 10 years. The shark usually gives birth to four to six pups in each litter, and the Galapagos Marine Reserve provides important sites for their pupping grounds. Fish make up 90% of their diet, but they will also feed on rays, skates and smaller sharks.
There are two distinct lineages within the species: one found in the western Atlantic, and the other in the eastern Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. They differ in morphology, colouration and life histories but research has yet to be carried out to determine if they are two different species. In Galapagos, they are found in large aggregations.
"Every year, globally, humans harvest 100 million individual sharks from our oceans."
The Galapagos Marine Reserve is home to the highest concentration of sharks in the world, and this project aims to protect sharks throughout their lifetimes from key threats such as overfishing.
Please help us conserve the endangered sharks of Galapagos by donating today or by adopting a hammerhead shark.
