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Pelagic Thresher Shark

The pelagic thresher shark has an extraordinarily long, whip-like tail that can be over half its body length! This special tail helps the shark herd and stun schools of fish before feeding.  

 

The pelagic thresher is the smallest of the three thresher shark species, averaging about 3 meters (10 feet) long. Primarily an open-ocean dweller, this species inhabits the warm waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is easily recognized by its strikingly long upper caudal fin lobe, which can make up over half its body length. While hunting, thresher sharks likely use their elongated tail to slap the water and stun schooling fish, as well as to corral a school of prey into a tight ball, making it easier to catch and eat. They feed mostly on fish, such as herrings and mackerels, but will also eat pelagic squid.  

Female pelagic thresher sharks give birth to live pups, typically producing a small litter of around two each year. Due to their slow reproductive rate, these sharks are particularly vulnerable to human-induced threats, making conservation efforts critical for their survival. 

 

 

Though adult thresher sharks have no natural predators, they do face serious human-made threats, primary fishing pressure from both targeted fishing and bycatch. 

Bycatch  

Pelagic thresher sharks may be caught as bycatch by industrial fleets or by coastal longlines, gillnets, or trawls.  

Overfishing 

The demand for their meat and fins puts pelagic thresher sharks at serious risk of extinction. Their population has decreased by 50-79% over the last three generations. 

 

 

Saving sharks requires global protections and dedicated enforcement of them. In recent years, Oceana has helped to ban the deadly shark fin trade in the United States and Canada. We also campaign to prevent endangered species from being unintentionally caught up in fishing gear. You can learn more about our campaign to protect threatened ocean species, and their habitat, here.  

 

 

 

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