Here is a blacktip reef shark looking for a fish to eat

I visited the Great Barrier Reef for the first time ever and one of the amazing fish that I saw was a blacktip reef shark.

Here are five interesting facts about them:

1. These lightning fast sharks grow up to 1.8 metres long, with the males much larger than females.
2. They use their speed to catch a large range of fish, squid, cuttlefish and crustaceans.
3. Females give birth to 2-5 live young every one to two years.  The pups can be up to 50 cm long at birth and they grow quickly in the first couple of years.
4. They are able to swim in very shallow waters only 1 foot deep.  They are not dangerous to humans, although they may sometimes bite the legs of people if they mistake them for food, however they do not cause serious injuries.
5. Blacktip reef sharks are found in the shallow waters of tropical coral reefs of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.  Even though they are one of the most abundant sharks in the world, their numbers are dropping in many places dues to over fishing.

I hope that you found these facts interesting and learned something new.

Are there any other interesting facts that you would like to share about blacktip reef sharks?