Blue Shark (Prionace Glauca) By: Sophie Rodriguez Ciona Blue Shark (Prionace Glauca) By: Sophie Rodriguez

FUN FACTS Swims fast. Gives birth up to 125 pups. The most distributed shark species. Live in groups. Are eaten by sea lions. Circle around their prey for 15 minutes and then they attack. Found in open seas. Spotted below the surface of deep waters. Prefer cool waters below 68 degrees. Female blue sharks have skin three times as thick as males due to rigorous mating rituals. Blue sharks lifespan can be up to 15 years. Blue sharks eat squid, their diet is cuttlefish and pelagic octopuses, as well as lobster, shrimp, crab, but they rarely eat tuna. Female blue sharks have adapted to the rigorous mating ritual by developing skin three times as thick as male skin. The blue shark can swim at fast speeds, allowing it to catch up with prey easily.

Physical Description Light bodied with long pectoral fins. Counter-shaded Top of the body is deep blue lighter on the sides and the under-side is white. Has triangular teeth to catch its preys. Light bodied with long pectoral fins. Counter-shaded Top of the body is deep blue lighter on the sides and under its white. Triangular teeth to catch its prey.

GenDer and Name Ciona is a male blue shark. He has a girl’s name in honor of Anna Ciona, a seven year old shark enthusiast from Calgary, Canada. Genre

Weight of blue sharks When Ciona was tagged HE weighed about 265 lbs. Male blue sharks can weigh around 60 to 121 lbs. Large female blue sharks can weigh around 205 to 401 lbs. When Ciona was tagged HE weighed about 265 lbs. Male blue sharks can weigh around 60 to 121 lbs. Large female blue sharks can weigh around 205 to 401 lbs.

WHAT BLUE SHARKS EAT Herring, silver hake, white hake, red hake, cod, haddock, mackerel, butterfish, sea raven, tuna, and swordfish, seabirds, garbage, and carrion and they even eat small sharks and seals sometimes.

Length Male length can be around 6.0 to 9.3 ft. in maturity Female length is around 7.2 to 10.8 ft. Ciona’s length is 8 ft. and 7 in. Male length can be around 6.0 to 9.3 ft in maturity Female length is around 7.2 to 10.8 ft. Ciona’s lemgth is 8 ft and 7 in.

Age and stage life Blue shark females mature at five to six years of age and males at four to five. Ciona’s stage life is mature; therefore, it is older than four or five years old. Female mature at 5 to 6 yer

TRACKING

Who IS TRACKING it? Scientist from Ocearch, which is a recognized scientific group that tracks sharks using a technology called telemetry, are tracking Ciona and many other sharks to learn more about these oceanic species.

When and where was it INITIALLY tracked? August 28,2016 Off the coast of Cape Cod

Where has it been? Ciona has been in the Atlantic Ocean off the east coast of the United States, from the New York’s coast all the way south to Georgia’s coast.

IN Which direction IS HE movING? The direction that Ciona seems to be heading is SW.

Is there a pattern in its track? When Ciona is closer to the coast he pings every one to two days, but when he is in open sea he pings once a week. This could be because in deeper sea it takes longer for him to find food and hit the surface.

Behavior during Fall During fall Ciona was pinging a lot around the New York east coast, being there from August until early December.

Behavior during Winter As winter struck and the water temperature started dropping Ciona started heading South for warmer water.

DO BLUE SHARKS ATTACK HUMANS? No, they rarely attack humans because in the past 500 years there has only been 13 reported attacks but only 4 of those have been fatal. Still, blue sharks are known to feed on shipwreck sailors and timid also. People should still be careful around them.

Line Graph

WHERE DOES HE SEEM TO GO? Ciona looks like is heading towards Florida’s east coast.

HOW CAN WE PROTECT Blue sharks? We must protect Blue Sharks habitat so they can find food and HElter. One way is to stop illegal fishing which takes food away from blue sharks. Another way is to stop consuming blue sharks and its products.

References http://www.ocearch.org/profile/ciona/ www.camrinbraun.com