This shark is an active predator and uses its tail as a tool to stun prey. Pelagic Thresher, Smalltooth Thresher, Fox Shark. According to the International Shark Attack File, thresher sharks are not commonly involved in shark attacks. reported that 80% of global thresher shark populations have been lost to fishing pressure over the past 15 years. Snout narrow, with a rounded tip. The bigeye thresher (Alopias superciliosus) is a species of thresher shark, family Alopiidae, found in temperate and tropical oceans worldwide.Like other thresher sharks, nearly half its total length consists of the elongated upper lobe of the tail fin.Its common name comes from its enormous eyes, which are placed in keyhole-shaped sockets that allow them to be rotated upward. Read on to learn about the thresher shark. Teeth very small. The easiest way to recognize a thresher shark is their excessively long tail. The largest threat to the Thresher Shark is human fishing. Sharks grow relatively slowly, take many years to mature and produce relatively few young. First dorsal origin posterior to pectoral fin free rear tip. Only the upper half of the tail fin is long, the lower is much more proportional to the size of the shark. Each species is slightly different, but all have this unique characteristic. First dorsal fin relatively small. Description of the Thresher Shark. Thresher sharks may be caught as bycatch and hunted recreationally. The pelagic thresher (Alopias pelagicus) is a species of thresher shark, family Alopiidae; this group of sharks is characterized by the greatly elongated upper lobes of their caudal fins.The pelagic thresher occurs in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, usually far from shore, but occasionally entering coastal habitats. Thresher Shark Indonesia is an initiative that initially started in 2018 by Indonesian young conservationists. Thresher shark populations are in steep decline in the region, even though they are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species … Bigeye thresher sharks can grow up to 488 cm long and weigh in at 363.8 kg making them the largest species of thresher shark but they are more commonly found at lengths of around 350 cm. These characteristics make sharks, like this porbeagle, particularly vulnerable to over-exploitation. Species include the oceanic whitetip, silky and thresher sharks, and manta rays. Common thresher sharks can grow up to 6.1 m (20 ft) in length, and 500 kg (1,100 lbs) in weight. In 2002, Baum et al. NOAA estimates that populations of Pacific thresher sharks are above target levels, but lists the status of common threshers in the Atlantic as unknown. Identification. Second dorsal fin very small. Thresher sharks contributed more than 50% of bycatch recorded in tuna vessels and the population has declined by over 80% in the past 13 years. Their body is covered in a mixture of large and small dermal denticles with the smaller, more numerous denticles being interspersed among the larger denticles. Many fisherman catch them for sport, while others catch them for their fins, liver oil, tails, and flesh. Maximum age is 50 years old. Shark populations around the world are in rapid decline. Proportionately small head. Labial furrows absent. The project’s goal is to protect the declining and endangered thresher shark population in Indonesia. The common thresher is the largest of the three species of thresher sharks. The results of this study showed that if unified conservation efforts are not applied, thresher sharks are likely to be eradicated from many of their chosen habitats. 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