Alopias vulpinus
Thresher Shark [+]

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Elasmobranchii
Order: Lamniformes
Family: Alopiidae
Genus: Alopias
species: Alopias vulpinus
+ITIS +WoRMS +Conservation Status

Description & Behavior

The thresher shark, Alopias vulpinus (Bonnaterre, 1788), also called the thintail thresher, is easily recognizable because of its long caudal fin which equals about half the total length of its body. This awesome shark also has a characteristic dorsal fin and pelvic fins. This shark's teeth are small, curved, and smooth, and razor sharp. The teeth are similarly shaped in both the upper and lower jaws. Color varies from metallic brown to blue on the dorsal side and white on the ventral side. They range from 2.5-7.6 m in length (7.6 m max length for males, 5.5 m max length for females). The max published weight is 348 kg.

A similar species, the bigeye thresher, Alopias superciliosus, is named for its enormous eyes that are much larger than those of the common thresher. Bigeye threshers are thought to navigate deep waters, however little data is yet available about this species.

There may be a smaller third species of thresher shark called the pelagic or fine-tooth thresher. This animal has only been reported in the pacific and is not well documented.

World Range & Habitat

Thresher sharks inhabit warm and temperate waters worldwide. Threshers prefer cool pelagic waters but will wander into coastal areas as well in pursuit of fish.

Juvenile threshers are often found close inshore and in shallow bays.

» GBIF occurrence data in Google Earth [Requirements | Tips] | Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) [World Map] | [about]

Feeding Behavior (Ecology)

Threshers feed on squid, octopuses, crustaceans and small schooling fish such as bluefish, needlefish, lancetfish, lanternfish, menhaden, shad, mackerel, and others. It reportedly stuns prey with blows from its powerful tail.

Life History

Thresher sharks are ovoviviparous. Males reach sexual maturity at 2.7 m, females at 3 m. Litters usually consist of 4-6 pups measuring between 1.37-1.55 m in length and weighing between 5-6 kgs at birth. Pups have a fast growth rate and are born in open water.

Ovoviviparous: eggs are retained within the body of the female in a brood chamber where the embryo develops, receiving nourishment from a yolk sac. This is the method of reproduction for the "live-bearing" fishes where pups hatch from egg capsules inside the mother's uterus and are born soon afterward. Also known as aplacental viviparous.

Comments

Visit Shark Angels Website

As with many shark breeds, threshers often become entangled in fishing nets (bycatch). They are considered harmless to humans. Though uncommon in US fish markets, threshers are consumed in other parts of the world (valued for its meat, liver, hide, and fins; utilized fresh, dried-salted, smoked, and frozen). They are also a sought after gamefish.

Thresher shark abundance in US Atlantic waters has apparently decreased by about 67%, whereas for US Pacific waters, some mid-size sharks are again being reported from samples of wholesale markets, probably as a positive effect of very restrictive fishing regulations.

A Firsthand Account of a Jumping Thresher Shark

The thresher shark is considered a "Data Deficient" species by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). A taxon is considered "Data Deficient" when there is inadequate information to make a direct, or indirect, assessment of its risk of extinction based on its distribution and/or population status. This species is on its way to recovery in waters off the coast of California due largely to fishery management measures and is now considered "Near Threatened" in this region. Outside the US, threshers continue to be one of the many sharks heavily fished and finned.

References & Further Research

BioOne ~ CITES ~ Discover Life ~ GBIF ~ Google Scholar ~ ITIS ~ IUCN RedList ~ MarineBio Network ~ NCBI ~ SCIRIS ~ SIRIS ~ Tree of Life Web Project ~ Wikipedia

Thresher Sharks - Alopias sp. - The Pelagic Shark Research Foundation - The Sharks of the Monterey Bay - Pelagic Sharks
Thresher Shark - Shark Foundation
THRESHER SHARK - Florida Museum of Natural History
Castro, Jose I. 1993. Sharks of North American Waters.

Search the Web for Thresher Shark » ARKive ~ Ask.com ~ Ask Jeeves ~ bing ~ deviantART ~ dmoz ~ Dogpile ~ Google Images ~ MySpace Images ~ OceanFootage ~ Picsearch ~ StumbleUpon ~ Yahoo! Images ~ YouTube

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Citation: Alopias vulpinus, Thresher Shark - MarineBio.org. Retrieved , from .

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Alopias vulpinus Thresher Shark [+]