Size and sex segregation of aggregating blacktip sharks, Carcharhinus limbatus

Abstract

Blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) form large seasonal aggregations numbering in the thousands. These aggregations are typically spotted from the air which makes it impossible to determine the sex and size distribution. We sampled C. limbatus that occur in large aggregations off the coast of southeast Florida. The aggregations were comprised primarily of adult male sharks (95.2%) that were of a similar size (170.8 ± 8.07 SD cm). This provides evidence of both size and sex segregations for this species during the overwintering phase of their annual migration.