Pelagic Thresher Shark

Just like the common thresher sharks, the pelagic thresher sharks are of the same thresher species but they are mostly identified for their distinctive elongated upper lobes caudal fins. It is the smallest species amongst its thresher sharks species that estimated to grow up in between 3 meters to 3.5 meters in length. They are mainly populated in the Indian and the Pacific oceans usually far from the shore. In order to differentiate between pelagic thresher sharks from the common thresher shark is from its darker color over its pectoral fins. In 2007, the pelagic thresher sharks are labeled as vulnerable as their population has begun to decrease almost too rapidly. Despite its smaller size, the pelagic thresher shark is known as a predator sea creature.

A drawing of a Pelagic Thresher by Allesandro De Maddalena

Many are confused between the common thresher sharks and the pelagic thresher sharks thus many reports indicated that the population of the pelagic thresher shark expands more widely than the common thresher. With the common thresher shark already populating the tropical ocean, the pelagic thresher shark extends all the way into the Indo-Pacific Ocean almost scattered across South Africa, the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. The pelagic thresher shark are found in the open ocean sometimes can be found near the shore and sometimes they are found breaking the ocean surface.

Just like their other species of thresher shark, the pelagic thresher shark is known as an active and strong swimmer. However because of their small size, they are known to become the prey of other predator sea creatures like larger sharks and toothed whales. Pelagic thresher shark are also known as a cleaning shark as they are commonly found in the shallow water exhibiting characteristic behaviors to facilitate cleaning interactions. Many have reported that the pelagic thresher shark can also make a clear leap off the surface off the ocean as many have encountered such incident before.

The pelagic thresher shark feeds mainly on barracudinas, ligthfishes and escolars. Their slender tail and fine definition suggests that the pelagic thresher shark feeds on small, pelagic prey. In order to strike their prey, the pelagic thresher shark usually will swim around a school of fishes before stunning them with their elongated upper lobes tail. Its tail is usually the reason how the pelagic thresher shark has been caught on the longlines many times before.

Caught...

Similar to common thresher sharks, the pelagic thresher shark is an oviviparius in which the reproduce embryos inside the eggs. The female pelagic shark will carry the eggs until they hatched. There is no evident proof of pelagic thresher shark breeding season thus they are reported that the female pelagic thresher can be pregnant anytime of the year. They produce up to two pups at a time and the size of the pelagic thresher young range from 1.6 meters or 43% of the length of its mothers. This results the fact that the young will usually not become the victims of other predator sea creatures as they are bigger than any other young thresher.