 Appearance-wise this species is virtually identical to the common blacktip shark ("C. limbatus"), from which it can be reliably distinguished only by its lower vertebra number and by genetic markers.Generally reaching in length, it is a fairly stout-bodied, bronze-colored shark with a long snout and black-tipped fins.Primarily piscivorous, the Australian blacktip shark forms large groups of similar size and sex that tend to remain within a local area.