LAST UPDATED: 01.07.2023
LAST UPDATED: 01.07.2023
COMMON THRESHER SHARK
COMMON THRESHER SHARK
Alopias vulpinus
Alopias vulpinus
The common thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus) is a fast-swimming shark with a unique appearance. It aggressively pursues schooling fish such as herring and mackerel and occasionally squid, which it stuns with long, scythe-like tail. In Atlantic Canada, the common thresher shark is sometimes observed leaping out of the water as it attacks its prey.
The common thresher shark is found worldwide although it prefers cooler temperatures. It has been documented for centuries¹ close to shore and in the open ocean during its seasonal migration in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
¹ Martijn, Charles, A. (1986). Les Micmacs et la mer. Recherches amérindiennes au Québec, Montréal. 343 p.
NAMES
NAMES
Scientific name: Alopias vulpinus
Common names: Common thresher shark, Atlantic thresher, grayfish, green thresher, long-tailed shark, sea ape, sea fox, slasher, swiveltail, thintail thresher, thrasher shark, whiptail shark.
Mi’kmaw names: Sabbede-mequ, siglati, tan booskekŭlooskăbāwit’, webetŭmâk’, wipitmeqw.
French common names: Requin-renard commun
Vulpinus is derived from the Latin vulpes meaning ‘fox.’
Order – Lamniformes
Family – Alopiidae
Genus – Alopius
Species – A. vulpinus
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
• Average length of 2 to 5 metres.
• Metallic-coloured (brown, grey, blue-grey or black) upperparts and white ventral side.
• Short, blunt snout with relatively small jaws and teeth.
• Extremely elongated top lobe of caudal fin (tail) representing up to 50% of the total body length.
• Attacks schooling fish such as mackerel by striking them with its tail.
• Seasonal presence in Atlantic Canada and Quebec.
• Rare in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and absent from the Estuary.
DISTRIBUTION
DISTRIBUTION
In the Northwest Atlantic, the common thresher shark is found from Newfoundland to the Gulf of Mexico, although it is considered rare in Atlantic Canada and Québec. The duration of its annual summer migration to the St. Lawrence may be affected by warmer conditions resulting from climate change.
(BELOW) Provisional distribution of the common thresher shark, Alopias vulpinus, in the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Canada, based on research by the St. Lawrence Shark Observatory. Only historical and select cases are posted to illustrate overall range. This map is updated with new and historical data on an ongoing basis. Map does not include data from the U.S. except borderline cases. To submit additional sightings or captures, please contact us. Click on icons for observation details.
CONSERVATION STATUS
CONSERVATION STATUS
The common thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus) is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Jeffrey Hay Gallant, MSc, is the founder and Scientific Director of the St. Lawrence Shark Observatory (ORS) and a doctoral researcher at UQAM. He made his first shark observation at Peggy’s Cove in 1975, first shark dive off Chebucto Head in 1992, co-led the first Canadian cage dives off Halifax in 2000, and was the first person to film a free-swimming Greenland shark in 2003.
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by Louis Nicolas circa 1690.
Meet the world's most maligned sea creature, the white shark.
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