Big-eye shark
Alopias superciliosus
Pelagic Thresher Shark
Alopias pelagicus
About
The pelagic thresher shark hunts in open water far from shore, using its huge tail like a whip to stun prey. It grows to a common length of 276 cm, with a maximum of 428 cm.
Also known as: pelagic thresher, fox shark, small tooth thresher shark
- Length
- 2,8 m · max 4,3 m
- Depth
- 0–150 m
How to tell it apart
No other shark carries a tail like this: the whip-like upper lobe, already nearly as long as the body, is the clearest sign you are looking at a thresher shark.
Appearance
This shark has a wide middle that tapers at both ends, with a narrow head and a short, pointed snout. Its most striking feature is the upper lobe of its tail fin, which is nearly as long as the rest of its body. It is dark blue above and white below, with long, straight pectoral fins.
Habitat
Pelagic thresher sharks live in the open ocean, from the surface down to about 150 m. They sometimes come closer to shore near coral reef dropoffs or seamounts where the continental shelf is narrow.
Behaviour
This shark is a strong, active swimmer and has been seen leaping clear of the water. At some reefs, it visits cleaning stations in the early morning, swimming slowly in circles near the seabed while small fish pick parasites off its skin.
Diet
Pelagic thresher sharks feed mainly on small fish that live in the mid-water zone. They stun prey with a sharp strike of the upper tail lobe before eating it.
Did you know?
At Malapascua Island in the Philippines, pelagic thresher sharks reliably show up at cleaning stations at dawn, an unusually predictable pattern for a shark that normally stays far out in open water.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
