Blue shark
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN) [1][2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Chondrichthyes Subclass: Elasmobranchii Order: Carcharhiniformes Family: Carcharhinidae Genus: Prionace Cantor, 1849 Species: P. glauca
Binomial name
Prionace glauca (Linnaeus, 1758)
Range of blue shark

Sharks Portal

The blue shark, Prionace glauca, is a carcharhinid shark which is found in the deep waters of the world's temperate and tropical oceans. They prefer cooler waters and are not found, for example, in the Yellow Sea or in the Red Sea. Blue sharks are known to migrate long distances, from New England to South America for example. Although generally lethargic, they are capable of moving very quickly if the need arises. Blue sharks are viviparous and are noted for their large litters of 25 to over 100 pups. They feed primarily on small fish and squid, although they are perfectly capable of taking larger prey should the opportunity present itself. Also, they may pose considerable danger to humans if they are encountered in large groups. They are often found in schools segregated by sex and size, and this behavior has led to their being nicknamed the "wolves of the sea". Blue shark (Prionace glauca) from NOAA. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn3. ... Near Threatened (NT) is an conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa which may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status. ... The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Subclasses and Orders See text. ... Superorders Batoidea (rays and skates) Selachimorpha (sharks) Elasmobranchii is the subclass of cartilaginous fish that includes skates, rays (batoidea) and sharks (selachii). ... Families Scyliorhinidae (cat sharks) Proscyllidae (finback cat sharks) Pseudotriakidae (false cat sharks) Leptochariidae (barbeled houndshark) Triakidae (hound sharks) Hemigaleidae (weasel sharks) Carcharhinidae (requiem sharks) The ground sharks, order Carcharhiniformes, are the largest order of sharks, with over 270 species, and includes a number of common types, such as the blue... Genera Carcharhinus Galeocerdo Glyphis Isogomphodon Lamiopsis Loxodon Nasolamia Negaprion Prionace Rhizoprionodon Scoliodon Sphyrna Triaenodon The requiem sharks are a family (Carcharhinidae) that includes some of the best-known and most common types of sharks, such as the tiger shark, blue shark, bull shark, and milk shark. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 23, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... 1758 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 370 pixel Image in higher resolution (1357 × 628 pixel, file size: 44 KB, MIME type: image/png) Distibution of Prionace glauca File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not... Image File history File linksMetadata Greyreefsharksmall2. ... Genera Carcharhinus Galeocerdo Glyphis Isogomphodon Lamiopsis Loxodon Nasolamia Negaprion Prionace Rhizoprionodon Scoliodon Sphyrna Triaenodon The requiem sharks are a family (Carcharhinidae) that includes some of the best-known and most common types of sharks, such as the tiger shark, blue shark, bull shark, and milk shark. ... Orders Carcharhiniformes Heterodontiformes Hexanchiformes Lamniformes Orectolobiformes Pristiophoriformes Squaliformes Squatiniformes Symmoriida(extinct) Sharks (superorder Selachimorpha) are fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton[1] and a streamlined body. ... In geography, temperate latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. ... The tropics are the geographic region of the Earth centered on the equator and limited in latitude by the two tropics: the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. ... ... Location of the Red Sea The Red Sea is an inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. ... Migration occurs when living things move from one biome to another. ... This article is about the region in the United States of America. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Fatigue is a feeling of excessive tiredness or lethargy, with a desire to rest, perhaps to sleep. ... A viviparous animal is an animal employing vivipary, a method of reproduction in which the embryo develops inside the body of the mother from which it gains nourishment, and not from an egg. ... PUP is a TLA that can stand for: PARC Universal Packet, one of the two earliest internetworking communications protocols Potentially unwanted programs, a term used for software you probably dont want installed, but isnt as annoying as adware, one example of PUP is spyware. ... A giant grouper at the Georgia Aquarium Fish are aquatic vertebrates that are cold-blooded, covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins. ... Suborders †Plesioteuthididae (incertae sedis) Myopsina Oegopsina Squid are a large, diverse group of marine cephalopods. ... Students in Rome, Italy. ...

Distribution and habitat

The blue shark is an oceanic and epipelagic shark found worldwide in deep temperate and tropical waters from the surface to about 350 meters.^[3] In temperate seas it may come closer to shore where it can be observed by divers, while in tropical waters it occurs at greater depths. It is found from as far north as Norway to as far south as Chile. In the Pacific its greatest concentrations occur between 20° and 50° North but with strong seasonal fluctuations. In the tropics it is uniformly distributed between 20° N and 20° S. It prefers waters with a temperature range of 7–16°C but will tolerate temperatures of 21°C or above. It is highly migratory with records from the Atlantic showing a regular clockwise migration within the prevailing currents.^[4] The pelagic zone is the part of the open sea or ocean comprising the water column, i. ... In geography, temperate latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. ... The tropics are the geographic region of the Earth centered on the equator and limited in latitude by the two tropics: the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. ... For other meanings of Pacific, see Pacific (disambiguation). ... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one_fifth of its surface. ...

Anatomy and appearance

Livery of Prionace glauca.

Blue sharks are light-bodied with long pectoral fins. The top of the body is deep blue and lighter on the sides. The underside of the shark is white. The animal grows to 3.8 meters (12.5 feet) or more^[3]. The shark's typical weight is 136 kg (300 lbs) to 182 kg (400 lbs) and can grow to 205 kg (450 lbs). The largest recorded specimen weighed 240 kg. They are not typically confused with any other species. An image of the Blue shark taken from http://www. ... An image of the Blue shark taken from http://www. ... Fish anatomy is primarily governed by the physical characteristics of water, which is much denser than air, holds a relatively small amount of dissolved oxygen, and absorbs light more than does air. ... The metre, or meter (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ...

Ecology

Squid are an important prey item for blue sharks, but their diet also comprises other invertebrates such as cuttlefish and pelagic octopuses, as well as lobster, shrimp, crab, a large number of bony fishes, small sharks, mammalian carrion and occasional sea birds. Whale and porpoise blubber and meat have been retrieved from the stomachs of captured specimens and also kril has been. They are known take cod from trawl nets^[4]. Apparently, blue sharks do not or only very rarely eat tuna^{[citation needed]}. Suborders †Plesioteuthididae (incertae sedis) Myopsina Oegopsina Squid are a large, diverse group of marine cephalopods. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Suborders †Pohlsepia (incertae sedis) †Proteroctopus (incertae sedis) †Palaeoctopus (incertae sedis) Cirrina Incirrina Synonyms Octopoida Leach, 1817 The octopus (Greek , eight-legs) is a cephalopod of the order Octopoda that inhabits many diverse regions of the ocean, especially coral reefs. ... Subfamilies and Genera Neophoberinae Acanthacaris Thymopinae Nephropsis Nephropides Thymops Thymopsis Nephropinae Homarus Nephrops Homarinus Metanephrops Eunephrops Thymopides Clawed lobsters comprise a family (Nephropidae, sometimes also Homaridae) of large marine crustaceans. ... Superfamilies Alpheoidea Atyoidea Bresilioidea Campylonotoidea Crangonoidea Galatheacaridoidea Nematocarcinoidea Oplophoroidea Palaemonoidea Pandaloidea Pasiphaeoidea Procaridoidea Processoidea Psalidopodoidea Stylodactyloidea True shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. ... Superfamilies Dromiacea Homolodromioidea Dromioidea Homoloidea Eubrachyura Raninoidea Cyclodorippoidea Dorippoidea Calappoidea Leucosioidea Majoidea Hymenosomatoidea Parthenopoidea Retroplumoidea Cancroidea Portunoidea Bythograeoidea Xanthoidea Bellioidea Potamoidea Pseudothelphusoidea Gecarcinucoidea Cryptochiroidea Pinnotheroidea * Ocypodoidea * Grapsoidea * An asterisk (*) marks the crabs included in the clade Thoracotremata. ... Remains of seventeenth century blubber cauldrons at the abandoned Dutch settlement of Smeerenburg in Svalbard, Norway This article is about the body tissue. ... the world is coming to the end!!!!! cod is going to eat up alive and do us hard up the emmm. ... A shoal of skipjack tuna Tuna are several species of ocean-dwelling fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. ...

Adult blue sharks do not suffer predation on a regular basis, except by humans. Young and smaller individuals may get eaten by any sufficiently large carnivore. However, they are host to several species of parasites. For example, the blue shark is the definite host of the tetraphyllidean tapeworm Pelichnibothrium speciosum (=Prionacestus bipartitus). They become infected by eating the intermediate hosts, probably Opah (Lampris guttatus) and/or Longnose lancetfish (Alepisaurus ferox) (Scholz et al. 1998). A juvenile Red-tailed Hawk eating a California Vole In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator organism feeds on another living organism or organisms known as prey. ... It has been suggested that Intermediate host be merged into this article or section. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... Orders Subclass Cestodaria Amphilinidea Gyrocotylidea Subclass Eucestoda Aporidea Caryophyllidea Cyclophyllidea Diphyllidea Lecanicephalidea Litobothridea Nippotaeniidea Proteocephalidea Pseudophyllidea Spathebothriidea Tetraphyllidea Trypanorhyncha In biology, Cestoda is the class of parasitic flatworms, called cestodes or tapeworms, that live in the digestive tract of vertebrates as adults and often in the bodies of various animals... Species Lampris guttatus Lampris immaculatus Opah (also known colloquially as moonfish, sunfish, kingfish, and Jerusalem haddock) are large, colourful, deep-bodied pelagic lampridiform fish comprising the small family Lampridae (also spelt Lamprididae). ... Binomial name Alepisaurus ferox Lowe, 1833 Alepisaurus brevirostris Gibbs, 1960 Lancetfishes are large oceanic predatory fishes in the genus Alepisaurus (Scaleless lizard), the only genus in the family Alepisauridae. ...

Reproduction

They are vivaporous, with a yolk-sac placenta, delivering 4 to 135 pups per litter. The gestation period is between 9 and 12 months. Females mature at 5 to 6 years of age and males at 4 to 5. Courtship is believed to involve biting by the male, as mature specimens can be accurately sexed according to the presence or absence of bite scarring. Female blue sharks have adapted to the rigours of the mating ritual by developing skin 3 times as thick as that of the male skin.^[4]

Importance to humans

Blue sharks are the most heavily fished sharks in the world mainly as result of bycatch. It is estimated that 10 to 20 million individuals are killed each year as a result of fishing. The flesh is edible, but not widely sought after; it is utilized fresh, dried, smoked and salted and for fishmeal. The skin is used for leather, the fins for shark-fin soup and the liver for oil.^[4] Blue sharks are occasionally sought as game fish and they are frequent accidental catches by commercial fisherman seeking swordfish or tuna. Most interaction between blue sharks and humans takes place in deep water as they rarely venture close to shore. Shark fin soup Shark fins and other shark parts for sale in a chinese pharmacy Shark fin soup (Chinese: é­šç¿…, Jyutping: jyu4 ci3, Mandarin: (Pinyin) Yú Chì / (Wade-Giles) Yü Chih4 ) is a dish commonly served in Chinese restaurants as part of a Chinese feast, usually at special occasions such... A Game fish is a fish that is pursued for sport, regardless of whether the fisherman ultimately eats the fish. ... Binomial name Xiphias gladius Linnaeus, 1758 Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) are large, highly migratory, predatory fish characterized by a long, flat bill in contrast to the smooth, round bill of the marlins. ... A shoal of skipjack tuna Tuna are several species of ocean-dwelling fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. ...

Attacks on humans

Blue sharks are known to attack people that are in small boats and divers. [[1]] The most common victims in blue shark attacks are commercial fishermen. [[2]] They leave chum and dead fish near their boats and the sharks become aggressive because of the lack of food nearby.

See also

• List of sharks

// Sharks belong to the superorder Selachimorpha in the subclass Elasmobranchii in the class Chondrichthyes. ...

References

1. ^ IUCN (2007-02-22). More oceanic sharks added to the IUCN Red List. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-02-25. “The blue shark, the world’s most abundant and heavily fished pelagic shark, stayed in the threat category Near hreatened.”
2. ^ Stevens (2000). Prionace glauca. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006.
3. ^ ^{a b} Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. Prionace glauca. FishBase. Retrieved on 17 September 2006.
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Leonard J. V. Compagno (1984). Sharks of the World: An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 521-524, 555–61, 590. 

• "Prionace glauca". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. 09 2005 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2005.
• Prionace glauca (TSN 160424). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 15 November 2005.
• Blue shark, Prionace glauca MarineBio"
• Scholz, Tomáš; Euzet, Louis & Moravec, František (1998): Taxonomic status of Pelichnibothrium speciosum Monticelli, 1889 (Cestoda: Tetraphyllidea), a mysterious parasite of Alepisaurus ferox Lowe (Teleostei: Alepisauridae) and Prionace glauca (L.) (Euselachii: Carcharinidae). Systematic Parasitology 41(1): 1–8. DOI:10.1023/A:1006091102174 (HTML abstract)

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External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Blue shark

• ARKive - Images and movies of the blue shark (Prionace glauca)

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