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Thresher sharks are large lamniform sharks of the family Alopiidae. Found in all temperate and tropical oceans of the world, the family contains three species all within the genus Alopias. Image File history File linksMetadata Greyreefsharksmall2. ... Families Odontaspididae (sand tigers) Mitsukurinidae (goblin shark) Pseudocarchariidae (crocodile shark) Megachasmidae (megamouth shark) Alopiidae (thresher sharks) Cetorhinidae (basking shark) Lamnidae (mackerel sharks) Great Lamniformes is an order of sharks commonly known as the mackerel sharks. ... Orders Carcharhiniformes Heterodontiformes Hexanchiformes Lamniformes Orectolobiformes Pristiophoriformes Squaliformes Squatiniformes † Symmoriida Sharks (superorder Selachimorpha) are fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton[1] and a streamlined body. ... Animated map exhibiting the worlds oceanic waters. ... The hierarchy of scientific classification In biological classification, family (Latin: familia, plural familiae) is a rank, or a taxon in that rank. ... The hierarchy of scientific classification. ... For other uses, see Genus (disambiguation). ...

Naming

The genus and family name derive from the Greek word alopex, meaning fox. Indeed the long-tailed thresher shark, Alopias vulpinus, is named the fox shark by some authorities. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

Distribution and habitat

Although occasionally sighted in shallow, inshore waters, thresher sharks are primarily pelagic; they prefer the open ocean, staying within the first 500 m of the water column. Common threshers tend to be more common in coastal waters over continental shelves. In the North Pacific, common thresher sharks are found along the continental shelves of North America and Asia. They are rare in the Central and Western Pacific. In the warmer waters of the Central & Western Pacific, bigeye and pelagic thresher sharks are more common. This is a scale diagram of the layers of the pelagic zone. ... The metre (American English:meter) is a measure of length. ...  Sediment  Rock  Mantle  The global continental shelf, highlighted in cyan The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent, which is covered during interglacial periods such as the current epoch by relatively shallow seas (known as shelf seas) and gulfs. ...

Anatomy and appearance

Small purple colored thresher caught at Pacifica Pier, California.

Named for and easily recognised by their exceptionally long, thresher-like tail or caudal fins (which account for 1/3 (33%) of their total body length), thresher sharks are active predators; the tail is actually used as a weapon to stun prey. By far the largest of the three species is the Common thresher, Alopias vulpinus, which may reach a length of 5.45 m (18 ft) and a weight of 348 kg (767 lb). The Bigeye thresher, Alopias superciliosus, is next in size, reaching a length of 4.9 m (16 ft); at just 3 m (10 ft), the Pelagic thresher, Alopias pelagicus, is the smallest. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 346 pixel Image in higher resolution (1985 × 859 pixel, file size: 656 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture Taken at Pacifica Pier by me of a Thresher shark. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 346 pixel Image in higher resolution (1985 × 859 pixel, file size: 656 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture Taken at Pacifica Pier by me of a Thresher shark. ... About Pacifica Pier is a famous fishing pier in Pacifica, California. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... A thresher is a device that first separates the head of a stalk of grain from the straw, and then further separates the kernel from the rest of the head. ... 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. ... Binomial name Alopias vulpinus (Bonnaterre, 1788) The long-tailed thresher shark, Alopias vulpinus, is a thresher shark inhabiting tropical and temperate waters worldwide. ... The metre (American English:meter) is a measure of length. ... A spring scale measures the weight of an object In the physical sciences, weight is a measurement of the gravitational force acting on an object. ... The U.S. National Prototype Kilogram, which currently serves as the primary standard for measuring mass in the U.S. It was assigned to the United States in 1889 and is periodically recertified and traceable to the primary international standard, The Kilogram, held at the Bureau International des Poids et... The pound (abbreviations: lb or, sometimes in the United States, #) is a unit of mass (called weight in everyday parlance) in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Binomial name Alopias superciliosus Lowe, 1841 The bigeye thresher, Alopias superciliosus, is a thresher shark of the genus Alopias, found in tropical oceans worldwide, at depths down to 500 m. ... Binomial name Alopias pelagicus Nakamura, 1935 The pelagic thresher, Alopias pelagicus, is a thresher shark of the genus Alopias, found in tropical oceans, at depths down to 500 m. ...

Thresher sharks are fairly slender, with small dorsal fins and large, recurved pectoral fins. With the exception of the Bigeye thresher, these sharks have relatively small eyes. Coloration ranges from brownish, bluish or purplish gray dorsally with lighter shades ventrally. The three species can be roughly distinguished by the main color of the dorsal surface of the body. Common threshers are dark green, Bigeye threshers are brown and Pelagic threshers are generally blue. Lighting conditions and water clarity can affect how any one shark appears to an observer, but the color test is generally supported when other features are examined.

Diet

Pelagic schooling fish (such as bluefish, juvenile tuna, and mackerel), squid and cuttlefish are the primary food items of the thresher sharks. They are known to follow large schools of fish into shallow waters. Crustaceans and the odd seabird are also taken.

Behaviour

Thresher sharks are solitary creatures which keep to themselves. It is known that thresher populations of the Indian Ocean are separated by depth and space according to gender. All species are noted for their highly migratory or oceanodromous habits. Many types of fish undertake migrations on a regular basis, on time scales ranging from daily to annual, and with distances ranging from a few meters to thousands of kilometers. ...

Reproduction

No distinct breeding season is observed by thresher sharks. Fertilization and embryonic development occur internally; this ovoviviparous or live-bearing mode of reproduction results in a small litter (usually 2 to 4) of large well-developed pups, up to 150 cm at birth in thintail threshers. The young fish exhaust their yolk sacs while still inside the mother, at which time they begin feeding on the mother's unfertilized eggs; this is known as oophagy. Ovoviviparous animals develop within eggs that remain within the mothers body up until they hatch or are about to hatch. ... Oophagy (egg eating) is the practice of embryos feeding on eggs produced by the ovary while still inside the mothers uterus. ...

Thresher sharks are slow to mature, males reaching sexual maturity between 7 and 13 years of age and females between 8 and 14 years in bigeye threshers. They may live for 20 years or more.

Thresher sharks are one of the few shark species known to jump fully out of the water making turns like dolphins, this behaviour is called breaching. Genera See article below. ... Whales exhibit various types of behaviour when they surface. ...

Conservation

All three thresher shark species have been recently listed as vulnerable to extinction by the World Conservation Union (IUCN).^[1] This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

Importance to humans

Like all large sharks, threshers are slow growing and are therefore threatened by commercial fisheries. Other than for its meat, the sharks are hunted for their liver oil, skin (for leather), and their fins, for use in shark-fin soup. A lobster boat unloading its catch in Ilfracombe harbour, North Devon, England. ... Shark liver oil is obtained from sharks caught for food purposes only, living in cold, deep oceans. ... Shark fin soup Shark fins and other shark parts for sale in a chinese pharmacy Shark fin soup (Chinese: 魚翅, 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...

They do not appear to be a threat to humans, although some divers have been hit with the upper tail lobe. There is an unconfirmed account of a fisherman being decapitated by a tail swipe as the shark breached.

Thresher sharks are classified as prized gamefish in the United States and South Africa. Common thresher sharks are the target of a popular recreational fishery off Baja Mexico. Thresher sharks are managed in some areas for their value as both a recreational sport fish and commercial species.

Species

• Genus Alopias
  • Pelagic thresher, Alopias pelagicus
  • Bigeye thresher, Alopias superciliosus
  • Common thresher, Alopias vulpinus

Species For species see text. ... Binomial name Alopias pelagicus Nakamura, 1935 The pelagic thresher, Alopias pelagicus, is a thresher shark of the genus Alopias, found in tropical oceans, at depths down to 500 m. ... Binomial name Alopias pelagicus Nakamura, 1935 The pelagic thresher, Alopias pelagicus, is a thresher shark of the genus Alopias, found in tropical oceans, at depths down to 500 m. ... Binomial name Alopias superciliosus Lowe, 1841 The bigeye thresher, Alopias superciliosus, is a thresher shark of the genus Alopias, found in tropical oceans worldwide, at depths down to 500 m. ... Binomial name Alopias superciliosus Lowe, 1841 The bigeye thresher, Alopias superciliosus, is a thresher shark of the genus Alopias, found in tropical oceans worldwide, at depths down to 500 m. ... Binomial name Alopias vulpinus (Bonnaterre, 1788) The long-tailed thresher shark, Alopias vulpinus, is a thresher shark inhabiting tropical and temperate waters worldwide. ... Binomial name Alopias vulpinus (Bonnaterre, 1788) The long-tailed thresher shark, Alopias vulpinus, is a thresher shark inhabiting tropical and temperate waters worldwide. ...

References

• Alopias (TSN 159915). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 4 May 2006.

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) is a partnership designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the taxonomy of biological species. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... A press release (sometimes known as a news release or press statement) is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• List of sharks
• List of fish common names
• List of fish families
• Thresher for other meanings of the word

// Sharks belong to the superorder Selachimorpha in the subclass Elasmobranchii in the class Chondrichthyes. ... This is a list of fish common names. ... This is a list of fish families sorted alphabetically by scientific name. ... A thresher is a device that first separates the head of a stalk of grain from the straw, and then further separates the kernel from the rest of the head. ...

External links

• FishBase entry on Alopiidae
• MarineBio: Thresher shark, Alopias vulpinus