Common Blacktip Shark, Carcharhinus limbatus (Müller & Henle 1839)

Other Names: Blacktip Shark, Blacktip Whaler

A Common Blacktip Shark, Carcharhinus limbatus, at Walkers Cay, Bahamas. Source: Albert Kok / Wikimedia Commons. License: Public Domain

Summary:

A dark-grey, bluish-grey or dusky-bronze shark with a white to yellowish-white belly, a dark band along each side to above the pelvic-fin origin, a distinct persistent black spot on the pelvic-fin tips, and black or dusky tips on the dorsal, pectoral, anal and lower lobe of caudal fins that fades with growth.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2022, Carcharhinus limbatus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 15 Jun 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/1949

Common Blacktip Shark, Carcharhinus limbatus (Müller & Henle 1839)

More Info

Distribution	Recorded in Australia from Cape Leeuwin, WA, to Bermagui, NSW. Elsewhere, the species is widespread in warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical waters worldwide. Inhabits inshore waters off beaches, in bays, estuaries, over coral reefs and off river mouths; with with inshore pupping and nursery grounds.
Feeding	Feeds mostly on pelagic and benthic fishes, and also preys on small sharks and rays, cephalopods and crustaceans.
Fisheries	Frequently taken in commercial and recreational fisheries. The flesh is well-regarded and the fins are highly marketable.
Conservation	Common blacktip sharks inhabit inshore waters, making them highly vulnerable to capture in commercial and recreational fisheries.
Species Citation	Carcharias (Prionodon) limbatus Müller & Henle, 1839, Systematische Beschreibung der Plagiostomen: 49, pl. 19. Type locality: Martinique Island, West Indies.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2022

Common Blacktip Shark, Carcharhinus limbatus (Müller & Henle 1839)

References

Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.

Blaber, S.J.M., Brewer, D.T. & Harris, A.N. 1994. Distribution, biomass and community structure of demersal fishes of the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 45(3): 375-396.

Blaber, S.J.M., Young, J.W. & Dunning, M.C. 1985. Community structure and zoogeographic affinities of the coastal fishes of the Dampier region of north-western Australia. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 36: 247-266.

Burgess, H. G. & Branstetter, S. 2009. Carcharhinus limbatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.2. . Downloaded on 19 May 2014.

Compagno, L.J.V. 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Sharks of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125. Rome : FAO Vol. 4(2) 251-655 pp.

Compagno, L.J.V., Dando, M. & Fowler, S. 2005. A Field Guide to the Sharks of the World. London : Collins 368 pp.

Compagno, L.J.V. & Niem, V.H. 1998. Family Carcharhinidae. pp. 1312-1360 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 2 687-1396 pp.

Davenport, S. & Stevens, J.D. 1988. Age and growth of two commercially important sharks (Carcharinus tilstoni and C. sorrah) from northern Australia. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 39(4): 417-433.

Dulvy, N.K. & Reynolds, J.D. 1997. Evolutionary transitions among egg-laying, live-bearing and maternal inputs in sharks and rays. Proc. R. Soc. Lond., Ser. B: Biol. Sci. 264: 1309-1315.
Garrick, J.A.F. 1982. Sharks of the genus Carcharhinus. National Marine Fisheries Service (U.S.). Technical Report 445: 1-194 figs 1-83

Grant, E.M. 2002. Guide to Fishes. Redcliffe : EM Grant Pty Ltd 880 pp.

Heupel MR, Simpfendorfer CA (2002) Estimation of survival and mortality of juvenile blacktip sharks, Carcharhinus limbatus, within a nursery area using telemetry data. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 59: 624–632. Abstract

Heupel MR, Simpfendorfer CA (2005) Quantitative analysis of aggregation behavior in juvenile blacktip sharks. Marine Biology 147: 1239–1249. Abstract

Heupel MR, Simpfendorfer CA, Hueter RE (2004) Estimation of shark home ranges using passive monitoring techniques. Environ Biol Fish 71: 135–142.

Johnson, J.W. 2010. Fishes of the Moreton Bay Marine Park and adjacent continental shelf waters, Queensland, Australia. pp. 299-353 in Davie, P.J.F. & Phillips, J.A. Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Marine Biological Workshop, The Marine Fauna and Flora of Moreton Bay. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 54(3)

Keeney, D.B. & Heist, E.J. 2006. Worldwide phylogeography of the blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus) inferred from mitochondrial DNA reveals isolation of western Atlantic populations coupled with recent Pacific dispersal. Molecular Ecology 15(12): 3669–3679. Abstract

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Canberra : CSIRO Australia 513 pp. 84 pls.

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 2009. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing Australia 2, 550 pp.

Macbeth, W.G., Vandenberg, M. & Graham, K.J. 2008. Identifying Sharks and Rays; A guide to Commercial Fishers. Sydney : New South Wales Department of Primary Industry 71 pp.

Müller, J. & Henle, F.G.J. 1839. Systematische Beschreibung der Plagiostomen. Berlin : Veit & Co pp. 29-102 pls.

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs.

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs.

Riner, E.K. & Brijnnschweiler, J.M. 2003. Do sharksuckers, Echeneis naucrates, induce jump behaviour in blacktip sharks, Carcharhinus limbatus?. Marine and Freshwater Behaviour and Physiology 36(2): 111–113. Abstract

Ritter, E.K. & Godknecht, A.J. 2000. Agonistic Displays in the Blacktip Shark (Carcharhinus limbatus). Copeia 2000(1): 282–284. Abstract

Russell, B.C. & W. Houston. 1989. Offshore fishes of the Arafura Sea. The Beagle 6(1): 69-84.

White, W.T., P.R. Last, J.D. Stevens, G.K. Yearsley, Fahmi & Dharmadi. 2006. Economically important sharks and rays of Indonesia. [Hiu dan pari yang bernilai ekonomis penting di Indonesia]. Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, Canberra, Australia.