Thresher Shark Size report

The Thresher Shark is also known as the Alopias Vulpinus or Fox Shark. Its name comes from the shark's unusually large tail (caudal fin). This species rarely reaches water below 500 meters and is widely distributed in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans' tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions.

Fox Sharks often live on continental shelves and offshore and often hunt in packs or pairs, but they are very rare today. Thresher sharks usually live in groups. It is a migratory species and passes through waters in the summer months. If you are lucky, you might see this magnificent shark jump high out of the water into the air.

This trait can also be harmful to them. Many thresher sharks are caught with their tails hooked into longline gear, so their numbers have declined globally. The Thresher Shark is also highly valued by large game recreational anglers. Despite the practice catch and release of many fishing operations, these released Fox Sharks suffer from extremely high mortality rates.

Thresher Shark Size And Appaearance

Thresher Shark is known for their extremely long tail that they use while hunting for food. Thresher sharks have a small head, large pectoral fins, and a long upper lobe of the caudal fin, almost as long as the rest of the body. The caudal fin is the tool for hunting, and these sharks often swarm to hit the water with its tail to drive the fish together and hunt for food. These large sharks generally take 7-14 years to mature, ovoviviparous, and only 2-4 tails can be produced in one litter.

Average Size of Thresher Shark

The Fox Shark is the largest species in the family Alopiidae found in all temperate and tropical oceans of the world, which is 3.2-6.1 meters (10.5-20 ft) long and weighs between 227-352 kg (500-775 lbs). Adult females are usually larger than adult males. The typical lifespan of the Thresher Shark is between 20-50 years.

Living Habits

The thresher shark is an oceanic surface fish that inhabits the global tropics, most commonly found in temperate waters. Adult sharks are common on continental shelves, while juveniles live in coastal bays and inshore waters. The fox thresher roams the coast for food, uses its long tail to stun prey, and preys mainly on school fish and cephalopods. The thresher shark is a shark with a very weak reproductive capacity. Although it can live for 20 years, it takes 7 to 14 years to become sexually mature. It is ovoviviparous and can only produce 2-4 small sharks in one litter.

Final Words

Thresher sharks are not aggressive to humans, but they are often caught by humans, mainly because their internal organs can be used to make cod liver oil, their skins can be used to make fish skin glue, and shark fins are also high-grade ingredients. Overfishing affects many shark species worldwide. Overall, Fox sharks grow slowly and reproduce in small numbers throughout their life cycle, making them very vulnerable to overfishing and taking a long time to recover. Thresher sharks have been identified as vulnerable to extinction since the year 2007.