Page 78 - South Mississippi Living - January, 2022
P. 78
LEISURE
story courtesy of
Mississippi Aquarium
GET TO KNOW THE GULF:
Blacktip Shark
CLASSIFICATION CLASS: Chondrichthyes FAMILY: Carcharhinidae GENUS: Carcharhinus SPECIES: C. limbatus
• The blacktip shark has black tips on all of its fins except its back fin, which has a white tip. • They can spin in the air.
• These sharks have an excellent sense of smell.
• Blacktip sharks can become aggressive when food is present.
• Atlantic blacktip sharks are found in the Gulf of Mexico year-round. • The average size of the blacktip shark is about 5 feet.
• There is no record of a blacktip shark ever killing a human.
• Female blacktips have a gestation period of between 10 to 12 months. • They live to be about 12 to 13 years old in the wild.
• Their diet comprises various types of fish and large crustaceans, snails, octopuses, stingrays, and squids.
78 | January 2022 www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living
2100 E. Beach Blvd., Gulfport 228.241.1300 www.msaquarium.org
fun facts
