BY: Natalie Taylor & Amanda Edwards THRESHER SHARK Alopias Vulpinus

Thresher sharks are in the kingdom Animalia. They belong to Phylum Chordata. They belong to Class Chondrichthyes. They are in the Order Lamniforms. They belong to the Family Alopias. Their in the Genus Carcharodon. They are Species Carcharians.

Size of a Thresher Shark Mass – Length – The tail fin is often 50% of the total length of the shark. It can grow up to 275 cm. Plus it can weigh up to 550 lbs.

Location of a Thresher Shark The thresher often swims at the surface of coastal waters. The thresher shark is a summer visitor to the Canadian Atlantic region. The thresher ranges through all warm and temperate areas of the worlds ocean. Ranges up to eastern Newfoundland all the way down the Atlantic to the west Indies and northern South America.

Feeding Habits of Thresher Sharks The foods that Thresher sharks eat most are copepod and herring. The Thresher uses its tail to thrash around forcing the fish into smaller schools. Then the tail can be used as a whip to stun or kill its prey.

Facts about Thresher Sharks Thresher sharks have extremely large caudal fins that can be up to 50% of their body length. The female thresher shark delivers 2 to 6 live pups at a size of 1.5 meters long (5 ft.)

Human Impact on Thresher Sharks