Blacktip Reef Shark

Carcharhinus melanopterus

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Elasmobranchii
Order: Carcharhiniformes
Family: Carcharhinidae
Genus: Carcharhinus
Species: Carcharhinus melanopterus

The blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) is a small reef shark with bold black tips on its fins, often seen in very shallow water. The black tip on its first dorsal fin is edged with white.

It grows to about 1.5 m and hunts small fish, squid and crustaceans. Juveniles patrol shallow lagoons and reef flats, sometimes in water barely deep enough to cover them.

In the Philippines it is found on reef flats, lagoons and shallow reef edges, and is generally timid around divers and snorkellers.

Photo: desertnaturalist, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist