Alopias pelagicus

Thresher Shark

Upp till 3.5 meter
Upp till 20 år
Sårbar
Om

Thresher Shark

Thresher sharks are instantly recognisable by their extraordinarily long tail fin, which can be as long as their entire body. They use this tail as a whip to stun schooling fish before feeding. Malapascua Island in the Philippines is the only place in the world where divers can reliably see thresher sharks at shallow cleaning stations at dawn.

Storlek

Upp till 3.5 meter (body), tail adds another 3 meter

Vikt

Upp till 70 kg (pelagic species)

Livslängd

Upp till 20 år

Status

Sårbar

Var du hittar dem

Bästa dykplatser

Malapascua Island, FilippinernaMonad Shoal, FilippinernaRöda havet, EgyptenSydafrikaGalápagosAzorerna, Portugal

Dyktips

At Malapascua, arrive at the cleaning station before dawn and wait quietly at 25–30m depth. Thresher sharks are extremely shy — any sudden movement will scare them away. Small groups and controlled breathing are essential. The experience of watching one glide in at first light is unforgettable.

Bästa säsong

Year-round at Malapascua (best November–June), dawn dives essential

Livsmiljö

Open ocean (pelagic), visiting shallow seamounts for cleaning. Indo-Pacific region.

Föda

Schooling fish (sardines, mackerel, herring) and squid
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Roliga fakta

1

Their tail whip can accelerate at 30g — one of the fastest movements in the animal kingdom

2

Malapascua is the only place on Earth where thresher sharks are seen daily at diveable depths

3

They can leap fully out of the water despite their enormous tail

4

Thresher sharks are endothermic — they can maintain a body temperature above the surrounding water

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