Blacktip reef shark
Scientific name: Carcharhinus melanopterus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)
Overview
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.
From the Wikipedia article “Blacktip reef shark”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022.2.
Where it lives
Common names
Names in other languages (11)
- Arabic
- قرش الشعاب أسود الطرف
- Bengali
- কালোডগা প্রবালপ্রাচীর হাঙর
- Chinese
- 大沙, 汙翅真鯊, 污翅白眼鮫, 烏翅真鯊
- French
- Requin à pointes noires
- German
- Schwarzspitzen-Riffhai
- Indonesian
- Hiu Karang Sirip Hitam
- Japanese
- ツマグロ
- Persian
- کوسه باله سیاه آبسنگی
- Portuguese
- Tubarão-de-pontas-negras-do-recife
- Russian
- Мальгашская ночная акула
- Turkish
- camgoz, kopek baligi, Siyah uçlu resif köpek balığı
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: FishBase.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, names in other languages. Q726384, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Blacktip reef shark”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — https://www.whatsthatfish.com/profile/fishx6, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — Chris_huh, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026