 It is found from coastal to offshore habitats to a depth of , though it prefers shallow water.The spinner shark resembles a larger version of the blacktip shark ("C. limbatus"), with a slender body, long snout, and black-marked fins.This species can be distinguished from the blacktip shark by the first dorsal fin, which has a different shape and is placed further back, and by the black tip on the anal fin (in adults only).