THRESHER SHARK

1. BY: Natalie Taylor & Amanda Edwards THRESHER SHARK Alopias Vulpinus

2. Thresher sharks are in the kingdom Animalia. • They belong to Phylum Chordata. • They belong to Class Chondrichthyes. • They are in the OrderLamniforms. • They belong to the Family Alopias. • Their in the Genus Carcharodon. • They are Species Carcharians.

3. Mass – Length – The tail fin is often 50% of the total length of the shark. It can grow up to 275 cm. Plus it can weigh up to 550 lbs. Size of a Thresher Shark

4. Location of a Thresher Shark • The thresher often swims at the surface of coastal waters. • The thresher shark is a summer visitor to the Canadian Atlanticregion. • The thresher ranges through all warm and temperate areas of the worlds ocean. • Ranges up to eastern Newfoundland all the way down the Atlantic to the west Indies and northern SouthAmerica.

5. Feeding Habits of Thresher Sharks • The foods that Thresher sharks eat most are copepod and herring. • The Thresher uses its tail to thrash around forcing the fishinto smaller schools. • Then the tail can be used as a whip to stun or kill its prey.

6. Facts about Thresher Sharks • Thresher sharks have extremely large caudal fins that can be up to 50% of their body length. • The female thresher shark delivers 2 to 6 live pups at a size of 1.5 meters long (5 ft.)

7. Human Impact on Thresher Sharks