blacktip shark

noun

black·​tip shark ˈblak-ˌtip- How to pronounce blacktip shark (audio)
variants or blacktip or less commonly black-tipped shark
: a small, grayish requiem shark (Carcharhinus limbatus) with black-tipped fins that is widely distributed in coastal tropical and subtropical seas
The vast majority of shark bites are from so-called hit-and-run attacks by smaller species, such as blacktip sharks. They mistake thrashing arms or dangling feet as a prey item, dart in, bite and let go when they realize it's not a fish.Tim Friend

Examples of blacktip shark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The results showed that on a nano level, the blacktip shark’s cartilage had two distinct regions, the corpus calcareum and the intermediale. Discover Magazine, 20 May 2025 His team’s work has focused on blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus), lemon sharks (Negaprion brevirostris) and hammerheads, especially during their seasonal migrations. Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025 Many of these bites were likely from blacktip sharks, whose breeding grounds stretch along the northeast Florida coastline. Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 13 Feb. 2025 Many of the Florida bites were likely from blacktip sharks, which occupy breeding grounds that stretch along the northeast Florida coastline, the Florida Museum of Natural History noted in the statement. Katie Hunt, CNN, 11 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for blacktip shark

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of blacktip shark was in 1916

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Cite this Entry

“Blacktip shark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blacktip%20shark. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.

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