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Alopias vulpinus

(Zorro Thresher Shark)

Overview

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Family : Thresher sharks ; Coastal over continental and insular shelves and epipelagic far from land [1]. Young often close inshore and in shallow bays [2]. Feeds on schooling fishes (including mackerels , bluefishes , clupeids, needlefishes , lancetfishes and lanternfishes ), squid, octopi, pelagic crustaceans, and rarely seabirds[3]. Ovoviviparous, embryos feeding on yolk sac and other ova produced by the mother[4]. Uses its long caudal fin to bunch up and stun prey [5]. Spatial and depth segregation by sex in northwestern Indian Ocean populations[3]. A few attacks on boats are doubtfully attributed to this species, but it is otherwise apparently harmless to humans, though the size of adults of this species command respect[3]. May cause damage to fishing gear [6]. Valued for its meat, liver , hide, and fins ; utilized fresh, dried-salted, smoked, and frozen[7].

Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Afrikaans:

Fynstert-Sambokhaai

Common Names in Albanian:

Dreq Deti, Peshkdhelpën, Peshkdhelpn, Peshkdhelper

Common Names in Arabic:

Jarjur, Kalb, Qatwa Al Bahar, Watwa Albahar

Common Names in Catalan:

Guilla

Common Names in Creole, Fren:

Renard De Mers

Common Names in Creole, French:

Renard De Mers

Common Names in Creoles and Pidgins,:

Renard De Mers

Common Names in Croatian:

Lisica, Morska Lisica, Pas Lisica, Pas Macun, Pas Mačun, Pas Sabljas, Pas Sabljaš, Sabljorep

Common Names in Czech:

Žralok Mlatec Obecný, Žralok Mlatec Obecný, ralok Mlatec Obecn

Common Names in Danish:

Almindelig Rævehaj, Almindelig Rvehaj, Rævehaj, Rvehaj, Tærsker, Trsker

Common Names in Dutch:

Voshaai

Common Names in English:

Big-Eye Thresher, Coleto, Common Thresher, Fox Shark, Grayfish, Sea Fox, Slasher, Swingletail, Swiveltail, Swivetail, Thintail Thresher, Thrasher, Thresher, Thresher Shark, Tresher Shark, Whip-Tailed Shark, Zorro, Zorro Thresher Shark

Common Names in Faroese:

Revahur, Revahvur, Revaháur, Revahávur

Common Names in Finnish:

Kettuhai

Common Names in French:

Faux, Loup De Mer, Pèis Rato, Pis Rato, Poisson-épée, Poisson-pe, Renard, Renard De Mer, Renard Marin, Requin Renard, Requin-Renard, Singe De Mer, Thon Blanc

Common Names in German:

Drescher, Drescherhai, Fuchshai, Langschweif, Seefuchs

Common Names in Gilbertese:

Te Bakoa, Te Kimoa

Common Names in Greek:

Αλεπού της θάλασσας, Αλεπούσκυλος, Αλεπόσκυλος, Σκυλόψαρο, Aleposkylos, Alepouskylos, Αλεπόσκυλος, Αλεπού της θάλασσας, Αλεπούσκυλος, Σκυλόψαρο, Skylópsaro, Skylpsaro

Common Names in Greek, Modern (1453):

Aleposkylos, Alepouskylos, Αλεπούσκυλος, Skylópsaro

Common Names in Hawaiian:

Mano 'ula, Manō 'ula

Common Names in Italian:

Pei Ratu, Pesce Bandiera, Pesce Pavone, Pesce Spada, Pesce Volpe, Pesce Volpe Comune, Pesciu Rattu, Pisce Bandiera, Pisci Bannera, Pisci Cuda Longa, Pisci Cudutu, Pisci Sciabula Turca, Pisci Surci, Sorcio, Squalo Volpe, Surci 'mperiali, Volpe, Volpe De Mar, Volpe Di Mare

Common Names in Japanese:

Mao-Naga

Common Names in Kiribati:

Te Bakoa, Te Kimoa

Common Names in Mahl:

Nigudigumiyaru

Common Names in Maltese:

Budenb, Pixxivolpi

Common Names in Mandarin Chinese:

弧形長尾鯊, 狐鮫, 長尾沙, 長尾鯊, 狐鮫, 狐鲛, 長尾鯊, 長尾沙, 长尾鲨, 长尾沙, 弧形長尾鯊, 弧形长尾鲨

Common Names in Maori:

Mango-Ripi

Common Names in Norwegian:

Revehai

Common Names in Polish:

Kosogon

Common Names in Portuguese:

Cação-Pena, Cação-Raposa, Cao-Pena, Cao-Raposa, Peixe-Rato, Rabilongo, Raposo, Romano, Romo, Romão, Tubaro Raposo, Tubaro-Raposa, Tubaro-Raposo, Tubaro-Zorra, Tubaro-Zorro, Tubarão Raposo, Tubarão-Raposa, Tubarão-Raposo, Tubarão-Zorra, Tubarão-Zorro, Zoro Cauda Longa, Zorra, Zorro

Common Names in Rumanian:

Rechin-vulpe, Rechin-Vulpe

Common Names in Russian:

акула пелагическая, акула-лисица, акула пелагическая, акула-лисица

Common Names in Salish:

K´wet´thenchte, K'wet'thenéchte, K'wet'thenchte

Common Names in Serbian:

Pas Lisica, Psina Lisica

Common Names in Spanish:

Azotador, Chichi Espada, Coleto, Coludo, Coludo Pinto, Grillo, Guadaña, Guadaa, Peje Sable, Peje Zorra, Peje Zorro, Pejerrabo, Pejezorro, Pez Espada, Pez Palo, Pez Zorro, Pichirata, Rabo De Zorra, Raposa, Raposa Marina, Tiburón Pez Zorro, Tiburón Zorro, Tiburón Zorro Común, Tiburn Pez Zorro, Tiburn Zorro, Tiburn Zorro Comn, Zorra, Zorra De Mar, Zorro, Zorro Blanco, Zorro De Mar

Common Names in Swahili:

Karage, Papa Kinengo, Papa Kinengwe

Common Names in Swedish:

Rävhaj, Rvhaj

Common Names in Tagalog:

Pating

Common Names in Tahitian:

Ma'o Aero

Common Names in Turkish:

Sapan, Sapan Baligi, Sapan Balığı

Common Names in Vietnamese:

C Nhm Dui Di, Cá Nhàm Duôi Dài, Cá Nhàm đuôi Dài

Common Names in Vili:

Tchissoundji

Description

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Family Alopiidae

Distribution: marine ; all oceans. Upper lobe of caudal fin greatly elongate , caudal fin almost one-half of total length; third to fifth gill openings over origin of pectoral fin. Ovoviviparous, embryos feeding on yolk sac and other ova produced by the mother[4].The family Alopiidae belongs to the Class Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) and the Order Lamniformes. It contains 1 genus and 3 species. It may be found in Marine environments and is primarily Marine. Members of this family are not used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are bearers. The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is subcarangiform. Compared with other fish, the activity level of this family tends to be active . Members of this family have been dated back to the lower Eocene epoch of the Tertiary period. Etymology of this family name : Greek, alopex = fox

Physical Description

Species Alopias vulpinus

Distinctive Features: The thresher shark can be easily identified by the long upper lobe of the caudal fin. The lobe can be as long as the body and gives the tail a slender "whiplike" appearance . It has a moderate size eye and a first dorsal fin free rear tip located ahead of the pelvic fins. The pectoral fins are falcate and narrow tipped. The sides above the pectoral-fin bases are marked with a white patch that extends forward from the abdominal area.

Coloration : Threshers are usually dark brown and slate gray but can be almost completely black. They are white on their underside, but have dark spots near the pelvic fin and the caudal peduncle. The white color can extend above the pectoral fins onto the head .

Dentition: Threshers have small, blade like, smooth edge-curved teeth. There are 20 teeth on either side of the upper jaw and 21 teeth on either side of the lower jaw. The two jaws have similar teeth with each successive tooth becoming increasingly oblique with outer margins increasingly deeply concave .

Denticles : The dermal denticles are closely overlapping and very small (.2 x .21 mm). The blades are horizontally small and have moderately long pedicels.

Size, Age, and Growth: Male thresher sharks mature at about 10.5 feet (330 cm ) and females at around 8.5 - 14.8 feet (260 - 450cm). They are about 5 feet (150 cm) long at birth and grow 1.6 feet (50 cm) a year as juveniles . Adults grow about 0.3 feet (10 cm) a year. The maximum reported length of the thresher shark is 24.9 feet (760 cm), and the maximum weight recorded is over 750 lbs (340 kg ) . Males are commonly 450 cm (Total Length) in length when caught/marketed, but may be as large as 760 cm (Total Length).

Habitat

The thresher shark is a pelagic species inhabiting both coastal and oceanic waters. It is most commonly observed far from shore , although it wanders close to the coast in search of food. Adults are common over the continental shelf, while juveniles reside in coastal bays and near shore waters. It's mostly seen on the surface but it inhabits waters to 1,800 feet (550 m ) in depth. Thresher sharks are observed infrequently jumping out of the water. Threshers are considered a highly migratory species in the U.S. by the National Marine Fisheries Service for fishery management purposes. May be found at depths of 0 to 550 meters.

Typically found in water with a depth of 0 to -5,521 meters (0 to -18,114 feet).[8]

Biome: Saltwater . Pelagic.

Ecology: A. vulpinus is both coastal and epipelagic. It is found in the waters of continental and insular shelves, and has also been recorded far from land in temperate to tropical waters. Young individuals are often found close inshore and in shallow bays . Depth ranges from the surface to 366 m. The thresher shark is an active , strong swimmer, sometimes leaping out of the water. The species feeds mostly on small schooling fishes , including mackerels , bluefishes , clupeids, needlefishes , lancetfishes and lanternfishes ; also squids , octopuses and pelagic crustaceans, and rarely seabirds (Compagno 1984).[9]


List of Habitats :9.1Marine Neritic - Pelagic 9.10Marine Neritic - Estuaries 10.1Marine Oceanic - Epipelagic (0-200m)

Biology

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Diet

Bony fish make up 97% of the thresher's diet . They feed mostly on small schooling fish such as menhaden , herring , Atlantic saury, sand lance, and mackerel . Bluefish and butterfish are the most common meal . They also feed on bonito and squid. Thresher sharks encircle schools of fish and then stun the prey with their tails. This is often done in groups and/or pairs. They have also been known to kill sea birds with their tails.

Reproduction

The thresher shark is an ovoviviparous species, meaning it develops without a placental attachment. The embryos feed on eggs passed into the uterus . Approximately two to four young develop with each pregnancy. Size at birth is usually between 3.7- 5.0 feet (114-160 cm) and 11 - 13 lbs (5-6 kg ), corresponding directly with the mother's size. The caudal fin is proportionally as long in the embryo as it is in the adult . They reproduce annually and are thought to reproduce throughout the species range.

Migration

Oceanodromous .

Behavior

Predators : Larger sharks prey upon juveniles , but adult threshers have no known predators.

Parasites: Nine species of copepods , genus Nemesis, parasitize thresher sharks . These parasites attach themselves to gill filaments, and can cause tissue damage. This damage to the gill filaments can cause respiration impairment in the segments of the gills .

Taxonomy

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Ambiguous Synonyms

  1. Alopias pelagicus Nakamura, 1935
  2. Alopias superciliosus (Lowe, 1841)

Unambiguous Synonyms

  1. Alopecias barrae Perez Canto, 1886
  2. Alopecias chilensis Philippi, 1902
  3. Alopecias longimana Philippi, 1902
  4. Alopecias vulpes (Gmelin, 1789)
  5. Alopias caudatus Phillipps, 1932
  6. Alopias greyi Whitley, 1937
  7. Alopias macrourus Rafinesque, 1810
  8. Alopias vulpes (Gmelin, 1789)
  9. Carcharias vulpes (Gmelin, 1789)
  10. Galeus vulpecula Rafinesque, 1810
  11. Squalus alopecias Gronow, 1854
  12. Squalus vulpes Gmelin, 1789
  13. Squalus vulpinus Bonnaterre, 1788
  14. Vulpecula marina Garman, 1913

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Similar Species

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The bigeye thresher (Alopias superciliosus) is similar to this species; however, it has an enormous vertically oval eye, a v-shaped ridge on the head, a longer snout, and fewer teeth. Also, the free rear tip of its dorsal fin reaches behind the pelvic fin origin.

The pelagic thresher (Alopias pelagicus) also resembles the thresher shark, but its head is narrower, snout is more elongated and the pectoral fins are nearly straight and broad tipped.

Members of the genus Alopias

There are approximately 13 species in this genus:

A. abdutus · A. caudatus · A. exigua · A. greyi · A. latidens · A. macrourus · A. pelagicus (Small Tooth Thresher Shark) · A. profundus · A. superciliosus (Big Eye Thresher Shark) · A. vulpes · A. vulpinis · A. vulpinnus · A. vulpinus (Zorro Thresher Shark)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 17, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Sommer, C., W. Schneider and J.-M. Poutiers (1996). FAO species identification field guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of Somalia. FAO, Rome. 376 p. [back]
  2. Compagno, L.J.V., D.A. Ebert and M.J. Smale (1989). Guide to the sharks and rays of southern Africa. New Holland (Publ.) Ltd., London. 158 p. [back]
  3. Compagno, L.J.V. (1984). FAO species catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 1. Hexanchiformes to Lamniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. (125, Vol. 4, Part 1), 249 p. [back]
  4. Dulvy, N.K. and J.D. Reynolds (1997). Evolutionary transitions among egg-laying, live-bearing and maternal inputs in sharks and rays. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 264:1309-1315. [back]
  5. Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H. Hammann (1983). A field guide to Pacific coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 336 p. [back]
  6. Hart, J.L. (1973). Pacific fishes of Canada. Fish. Res. Board Can. Bull. 180:1-740. [back]
  7. Frimodt, C. (1995). Multilingual illustrated guide to the world's commercial warmwater fish. Fishing News Books, Osney Mead, Oxford, England. 215 p. [back]
  8. Mean = -1,771.430 meters (-5,811.778 feet), Standard Deviation = 1,744.180 based on 667 observations. Ocean depth information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
  9. Goldman, K.J. & members of the Shark Specialist Group 2002. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 19, 2008. [back]
Last Revised: 2009-06-17