preview

Black Tip Reef Shark Research Paper

Decent Essays

The black tip reef shark, is also known as the Carcharhinus Melanoperus gets its name from its pointed snout and black tips on the end of each fin. They are considered one of the most beautiful sharks in the whole ocean and are frequently seen by divers. Its average length is 1.9 meters and weighs about 130kg. They live on warm, shallow coral reefs in the pacific, indo and Mediterranean Sea with the deepest depth up to 80 meters. Their proffered water temperature is 15C -24C. These reef sharks are very social and will often be seen in packs or groups with a strong hierarchy system, although they are predators, when they come face to face with another predator they tend to become more shy and timid . Although these sharks are calm most of the time, when hungry they become athletic and energetic hunters, they have a great technique, to launch their whole body out of the surface of the water and roll up to 4 times before falling. They also have perfect pack hunting skills, and will herd a school of fish into the shallows and then feed on them, they can feed on small fish such as herring and sardines, they eat stingrays and smaller sharks. Females are able to reproduce without a male and can give birth up to 10 pups per year, each pup will usually hit maturity at age 4 and most sharks will live until age 13. Conflicts have happened between black tip reef sharks and humans before as we swim so close to them and their habitat, but the rates are exceedingly slow and these sharks would

Get Access