Habitat
The blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) is a species that is found in the waters of both the Indian and Pacific oceans (Mourier and Planes 2012). In both of these locations there are coral reefs are present, which is the preferred environment of these sharks. The presence of these reefs creates shallow waters and surrounding lagoons. This particular species of sharks favors shallow waters over deep water; which is why this type of location suits them very well (Mourier et al 2012).
It has been found that the blacktip reef shark does not prefer waters that are deeper than 50 meters (Mourier et al 2012). When observed in their natural habitat, they are found in water depths that mainly range between 2 and 20 meters. These waters mainly consist of shallow coral reefs, and surrounding sandy lagoons (Mourier and Planes 2013). An essential physical characteristic that thes sharks use to survive in this environment of shallow waters is that their dorsal fin has a black tip. This fin is exposed in the water and easily seen by surrounding organisms (Vignaud et al 2013).
French Polynesia is another primary hot spot where we see the population of the blacktip reef shark (Vignaud et al 2013). The waters around these islands have become a location for these sharks because they are separated by large bodies of deep water. It is very unlikely for these sharks to cross these deep waters because of the fear of predation; thus they stay in the shallow waters where they are better protected. The only likely time that the sharks cross these waters is for reproduction (Mourier et al 2012). These sharks live in a costal environment, therefore it makes perfect sense that they are found around these islands. These islands produce plenty of shallow water to provide their inshore habitat.