Blacktip Reef Shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus)

Warning! This shark is vulnerable!

In 2020, the IUCN has classified the Blacktip Reef Shark as vulnerable. This is thanks to not only industrial and small-scale fishing and poor water quality but also thanks to climate change decreasing the quality of coral reefs (that's where they live, it's a reef shark, DUH!). The population is estimated to have reduced by 30–49% over the last 44 years. [source]

The blacktip reef shark is a pretty cool shark that is easily identifiable by the black tips of it's fins. They're TINY compared to other sharks, usually not longer than 1.6 meters. And their pups are adorable!

Their diet consists mainly of small fish 🐟. Rarely they eat things like squid, shrimp and smaller sharks. Sometimes they'll snack on a sea snake or two! Company of others isn't a problem either, groups of blacktip reef sharks have been seen herding fish towards shore for easier feeding.

They live around coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific and tolerate lower salinity. Unlike other reef sharks they like being in shallow waters. So sometimes they go to mangroves when the tide rises. During low tide they mostly chill at coral reefs. Occasionally they like an area so much that they'll stay there for several years.