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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Animals

Sharks

Blacktip shark

Carcharhinus limbatus

Blacktip sharks are fast coastal migrants. Thousands can gather off southeast Florida in some winters, while others stay local. Not every shark follows the same route.

VulnerableIn 49 Atlas countries

Vulnerable (IUCN, 2021) means it is at high risk of extinction in the wild.

Blacktip shark swimming in green water in the Galápagos
Photo: John G. Phillips, iNaturalist, CC BY
Blacktip shark gliding through deep blue water
Photo: Chris Kirby-Lambert, iNaturalist, CC BY
Blacktip shark cruising in calm Galápagos shallows
Photo: John G. Phillips, iNaturalist, CC BY
Blacktip shark seen from above off the Florida coast
Photo: Blake Alley, iNaturalist, CC BY

Photos show the species, not always the places on this page.

Length

Usually about 1.5 m (4.9 ft); largest recorded about 2.9 m (9.4 ft)

Weight

Typical weight not reliably measured; largest recorded about 123 kg (271 lb)

Next to a person

A typical adult is a little shorter than a person is tall; the largest are much longer

What it eats

Mainly fish in open water and near the bottom, also small sharks and rays, squid and crustaceans.

Around people

Defensive if pressured

How it lives

The blacktip shark is a fast, active hunter of coastal waters, often near beaches, river mouths, lagoons and reef edges. Young sharks are common close to shore. It often travels in groups. Females give birth to one to 10 live pups. The black tips on most fins help to tell it apart.

Where it goes

Many blacktip sharks off the US East Coast migrate with the seasons. They crowd southeast Florida in winter, when the water is below about 25°C, and move north in spring. Tagged males travelled from Palm Beach County, Florida, to as far as Long Island, New York. Some males stay off southeast Florida all year.

Populations

In aerial surveys off Palm Beach County, Florida, from 2011 to 2014, the highest count was 12,128 sharks in 2011 in a 75.6 km² strip along the beach. Numbers peaked from January to March and fell to 1.1% of the peak by April and May. At Darwin and Wolf in the Galápagos, blacktips made up 5.1% of the fish biomass in 2013 and 2014.

Meet it respectfully

Watch blacktips from the beach, a pier or the water with calm, slow movement, and give schooling sharks a clear path. Never feed or chase them. Feeding sharks while diving or snorkelling is not allowed in Florida state waters. Do not swim near people fishing or among bait fish, where sharks hunt and bites can happen.

Fun fact

Tap the bulb to light it up.

Where it goes

Follow its journey

Watch it travel. Every line comes from satellite tracking or documented research, and the source is named.

StartEndJourney (the line joins documented areas; real paths vary)

Where you may meet it

Blacktip shark in the Ocean Atlas

Places we have researched where this animal is recorded. It is never guaranteed, and some places are for watching from the boat only.

FijiTanzaniaW. SaharaCanadaUnited States of AmericaKazakhstanUzbekistanPapua New GuineaIndonesiaArgentinaChileDem. Rep. CongoSomaliaKenyaSudanChadHaitiDominican Rep.RussiaBahamasFalkland Is.NorwayGreenlandFr. S. Antarctic LandsTimor-LesteSouth AfricaLesothoMexicoUruguayBrazilBoliviaPeruColombiaPanamaCosta RicaNicaraguaHondurasEl SalvadorGuatemalaBelizeVenezuelaGuyanaSurinameFranceEcuadorPuerto RicoJamaicaCubaZimbabweBotswanaNamibiaSenegalMaliMauritaniaBeninNigerNigeriaCameroonTogoGhanaCôte d'IvoireGuineaGuinea-BissauLiberiaSierra LeoneBurkina FasoCentral African Rep.CongoGabonEq. GuineaZambiaMalawiMozambiqueeSwatiniAngolaBurundiIsraelLebanonMadagascarPalestineGambiaTunisiaAlgeriaJordanUnited Arab EmiratesQatarKuwaitIraqOmanCambodiaThailandLaosMyanmarVietnamNorth KoreaSouth KoreaMongoliaIndiaBangladeshBhutanNepalPakistanAfghanistanTajikistanKyrgyzstanTurkmenistanIranSyriaArmeniaSwedenBelarusUkrainePolandAustriaHungaryMoldovaRomaniaLithuaniaLatviaEstoniaGermanyBulgariaGreeceTurkeyAlbaniaCroatiaSwitzerlandLuxembourgBelgiumNetherlandsPortugalSpainIrelandNew ZealandAustraliaSri LankaChinaTaiwanItalyDenmarkUnited KingdomIcelandAzerbaijanGeorgiaPhilippinesMalaysiaBruneiSloveniaFinlandSlovakiaCzechiaEritreaJapanParaguayYemenSaudi ArabiaN. CyprusCyprusMoroccoEgyptLibyaEthiopiaDjiboutiSomalilandUgandaRwandaBosnia and Herz.MacedoniaSerbiaMontenegroKosovoTrinidad and TobagoS. SudanFlorida Keys (Key Largo), United StatesLa Jolla and the Channel Islands, United StatesMaui, United StatesOʻahu, United StatesSan Diego and La Jolla, United StatesJuneau and Southeast Alaska, United StatesGlacier Bay, United StatesSeward and Kenai Fjords, United StatesGalápagos, EcuadorLa Ventana, MexicoGuadalupe Island, MexicoAliwal Shoal and Umkomaas, South AfricaCape Town and Hermanus, South AfricaSodwana Bay, South AfricaPlacencia and the Southern Reef, BelizeDahab, EgyptMarsa Alam, EgyptSal, Cabo VerdeBoa Vista, Cabo VerdeLos Roques Archipelago, VenezuelaMochima, VenezuelaBaird Bay and Eyre Peninsula, AustraliaBarunguba and Narooma, AustraliaBremer Bay, AustraliaCairns, Port Douglas and the Ribbon Reefs, AustraliaChristmas Island, AustraliaCocos (Keeling) Islands, AustraliaLady Elliot Island, AustraliaLord Howe Island, AustraliaNingaloo, AustraliaRowley Shoals, AustraliaTasman Peninsula and Eaglehawk Neck, AustraliaMaria Island and the east coast, AustraliaHeligoland, GermanyKreidesee Hemmoor, GermanyRuegen and the Baltic coast, GermanyAwala Yalimapo and the Amana reserve, French GuianaTorshavn and Sandagerdi, Faroe IslandsInner Hebrides (Coll, Tiree and Mull), United KingdomMoray Firth and Chanonry Point, United KingdomOrkney and Scapa Flow, United KingdomFarne Islands, United KingdomLundy, United KingdomUstica, Sicily, ItalyTavolara and Capo Carbonara, Sardinia, ItalyPortofino and the Ligurian Sea, ItalyPlemmirio, Syracuse, ItalyAmed, Bali, IndonesiaGili Trawangan, IndonesiaKomodo, IndonesiaGili Air, IndonesiaMaratua and Derawan, IndonesiaRaja Ampat, IndonesiaNusa Penida, IndonesiaLovina, Bali, IndonesiaLagos coast and Lekki, NigeriaBadagry coast, NigeriaOkinawa, JapanMayumba National Park, GabonLoango National Park, GabonAda Foah and the Volta estuary, GhanaMuni-Pomadze, GhanaGrand Kru coast, LiberiaLittle Bassa and Rivercess, LiberiaGrand-Béréby, Côte d'IvoireTofo, MozambiqueBimini, The BahamasAndros, The BahamasExuma Cays, The BahamasEleuthera, The BahamasKribi and Ebodje coast, CameroonDouala-Edea coast, CameroonCabo de Palos and Cartagena, SpainEl Hierro and La Restinga, SpainFormentera, SpainFuerteventura, SpainGran Canaria, SpainIbiza, SpainJávea (Xàbia), SpainL'Estartit and the Medes Islands, SpainLa Herradura and Costa Tropical, SpainLa Palma, SpainLanzarote, SpainMallorca, SpainMenorca, SpainMálaga and the Costa del Sol, SpainTabarca and Alicante, SpainTarifa and the Strait of Gibraltar, SpainTenerife, SpainSanta Catalina and Coiba, PanamaGulf of Chiriquí, PanamaPearl Islands, PanamaIsla Iguana and Isla Cañas, PanamaBocas del Toro and Bastimentos, PanamaGuna Yala, PanamaFernando de Noronha, BrazilAbrolhos, BrazilPraia do Forte, BrazilSanta Catarina whale coast, BrazilBonito, BrazilTurtle Islands and Sherbro Island, Sierra LeoneFreetown peninsula, Sierra LeoneLakshadweep (Agatti, Bangaram, Kadmat), IndiaNetrani and Murudeshwar, IndiaSwaraj Dweep (Havelock) and Barren Island, IndiaFuvahmulah, MaldivesHanifaru Bay, Baa Atoll, MaldivesSouth Ari Atoll, MaldivesKavieng and New Ireland, Papua New GuineaKimbe Bay, Papua New GuineaMilne Bay, Papua New GuineaTufi (Oro Province), Papua New GuineaPerhentian Islands, MalaysiaTioman Island, MalaysiaTristao Islands, GuineaMoʻorea, French PolynesiaRurutu, French PolynesiaCoron, Palawan, PhilippinesMoalboal, Cebu, PhilippinesPanglao and Balicasag, Bohol, PhilippinesSiquijor, PhilippinesApo Island and Dauin, PhilippinesApo Reef, PhilippinesBoracay, PhilippinesEl Nido and Bacuit Bay, PhilippinesPort Barton and San Vicente, PhilippinesTubbataha Reefs, PhilippinesMalpelo, ColombiaGorgona, ColombiaNuquí, Bahía Solano and Utría, ColombiaProvidencia and Santa Catalina, ColombiaSan Andrés, ColombiaOrango Grande and Orango National Park, Guinea-BissauPoilao Island, Guinea-BissauSaloum Delta, SenegalKhao Lak, Similan and Surin Islands, ThailandKoh Lanta and Hin Daeng, ThailandKoh Tao, ThailandConkouati-Douli National Park, Republic of the CongoPointe-Noire coast, Republic of the CongoKadavu and the Great Astrolabe Reef, FijiPacific Harbour and Beqa Lagoon, FijiSavusavu and Vanua Levu, FijiTaveuni and Viani Bay, FijiYasawa and Drawaqa Manta Channel, FijiSouthern Bioko beaches, Equatorial GuineaAbu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesBourail, Poé and Déva, New CaledoniaNouméa and the Great Southern Lagoon, New CaledoniaPoindimié and Hienghène, New CaledoniaÎle des Pins (Kunié), New CaledoniaSwatch of No Ground, BangladeshSundarbans, BangladeshCox's Bazar and Sonadia, BangladeshSaint Martin's Island, BangladeshBouche du Roy and Grand-Popo, BeninWadden Sea, NetherlandsZeeland coast, NetherlandsDhofar and the Hallaniyat Islands, OmanMusandam and Khasab, OmanMuscat and the Daymaniyat Islands, OmanXiaoliuqiu, TaiwanHualien, Taiwan

Travel with usComing soonTrusted referralExploringOn pause, story onlyEthics pass

Country colour: pink where we travel, blue where we are exploring or refer, grey for story only.

AustraliaThe BahamasBangladeshBelizeBeninBrazilCabo VerdeCameroonColombiaCôte d'IvoireEcuadorEgyptEquatorial GuineaFaroe IslandsFijiFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaGabonGermanyGhanaGuineaGuinea-BissauIndiaIndonesiaItalyJapanLiberiaMalaysiaMaldivesMexicoMozambiqueNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNigeriaOmanPanamaPapua New GuineaPhilippinesRepublic of the CongoSenegalSierra LeoneSouth AfricaSpainTaiwanThailandUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesVenezuela
Sources for this page

Facts checked 26 September 2026. Photos: Unsplash licence, or Creative Commons as shown on each photo.

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