THRESHER SHARK
Alopias vulpinus (Bonnaterre, 1788)
| Usual Size | Believed to a size of 600cm |
| UK Record Weight |
BOAT 323lb
|
| Identification |
Upper body dark brown to grey with a paler to white underside. The elongated tail is equivalent in length to to the main body of the Shark. |
| Habitat | An offshore species occasionally coastal, which can be found in the surface layers down to 400m. |
| Range | To be found in cold temperate waters and tropical waters. For the UK from the south Cornish Coast to Isle of Wight, and occasionally off oceanic coasts of Scotland. |
| Food | Schooling fish like Mackerel, Herring and Garfish as well as Squid. |
| Reproduction | Aplacentally Viviparous (live bearing) Litter size varying between 2/6 pups |
| Additional Notes | Weight potential to excess of 1000lbs. |
| References | A Field Guide to The Sharks of British Coastal Waters - Vas 1991 FAO Species Catalogue 4 - Sharks of The World - Compagno Fishes of the North-Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean - Whitehead, Bauchot, Hureau, Nielsen, Tortonese Key to the Fishes of Northern Europe - Wheeler |
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