The Guinness Book of Records has the World’s Largest fish (a Whale Shark) registered as 12.65 meters which are 41 feet 6 inches.

However, there are versions that whale sharks could reach up to 60 feet, but this is not confirmed.

Links to other pages in this site

Where Do Tiger Sharks Live?
How Do Sharks Breed?
What To Do If A Shark Of The Atlantic Attack?
How Do Sharks Communicate?
Why Do Sharks Have Cartilage?

The Largest Fish – Whale Shark

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The word shark comes from the Mayan world “Xoc” which means fish.

The dictionary defines Shark as a voracious cartilaginous fish when referring to the animal.

Dictionaries also define the use of the word “Shark” for people as a “someone who preys greedily on others, as by cheating or usury”.
Also, it refers the informal use of the word shark as “a person who has the unusual ability in a particular field.”

Links to other pages in this site

How Do Sharks Breed?
What Kind Of Skin Do Sharks Have?
Where Do Tiger Sharks Live?
How Do Sharks Find Their Food?
What To Do If A Shark Of The Atlantic Attack?

The “Prionace glauca” is a beautiful shark, with a blueish skin which gives it its common name. The term “glauca” comes from the Latin meaning “blue-gray” or “green.” It is the most distributed shark in the world.

It is a member of the order Carcharhiniformes, of the family Carcharhinidae and the Genus Prionace.

DESCRIPTION

The aerodynamic shape and lightness of the blue shark body allow it to move “elegantly” across the oceans. It exhibits countershading like many other sharks. The upper part is an indigo blue tone while the ventral and the sides are white.

It has a long caudal heterocercal fin. The second dorsal fin measures almost half the size of the first and its pectoral fins are unusually long compared to other sharks. Its eyes are large, its teeth are triangular, and it has a conical snout.

It reaches a length ranging from 3.8 to 4 meters and weighs about 240 kilograms. This species presents slight sexual dimorphism since the female tends to measure little more than 1 meter in comparison with the male.

It is the most distributed shark in the world.

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT

The blue shark inhabits in a great diversity of areas around the world. It dwells temperate, tropical and subtropical waters up to 350 meters deep. It lives near the coasts except those of Antarctica. It concentrates mainly in latitudes between 20 ° and 50 ° north and likes waters with temperatures of between 7 ° and 16 ° centigrade, although it can tolerate warmer temperatures slightly above 21 ° Celsius.

It fancies approaching the shores, where divers and boats see it often. It inhabits the epipelagic and mesopelagic zones near the coasts and the continental shelves, but if it dwells tropical waters, then it tends to go towards deeper waters.

FEEDING

It is a carnivorous predator that feeds on about 24 species of cephalopods and 16 species of fish. Its diet includes octopus, squid, mackerel, tunas, lobsters, crabs, small sharks and occasionally seabirds. They usually seek to catch small prey, but if they find large mammal carrion, it becomes part of their food.

The blue shark surrounds its prey before attacking it. When needed it joins with other sharks of the same species and cooperates to attack larger prey and facilitate their capture. Its swimming speed and its triangular teeth help this shark tearing the skin and flesh of the most complicated animals.

BEHAVIOR

It is a slow-swimming animal that increases its speed when feeling stimulated by external factors, such as the presence of animals from which it can feed on. If this happens, it then becomes one of the fastest fish.

The blue shark is nomadic and shows a clockwise migration pattern following the Gulf Stream to the Caribbean, passing along the coast of the United States, Eastern Europe, Southern Africa and back to the Caribbean.

REPRODUCTIVE HABITS

The Blue shark reaches sexual maturity at around 5 or 6 years old, after which can reproduce through viviparity. During the process of courtship, the male bites the female between the second and the first dorsal fin. Upon accepting, the male inserts its clasper into the female’s oviduct and transfers the sperm to fertilize the eggs. After mating both separate and do not join again, since this species is polygamous.

The frequency which females give birth or the time that the deposited sperm is stored after the intercourse is still uncertain, but the blue shark migrates northward to deliver their offspring. After a gestation period lasting between 9 and 12 months, the female gives birth to a large number of offspring. An unusual case was a mother that had 130 pups, but the average amount ranges between 25 and 50. Later, the newborns separate from their mother who does not provide any parental care.

The blue shark is not a regular victim of commercial fishing.

THREATS AND CONSERVATION

In contrast to other shark species, the blue shark is not a regular victim of commercial fishing although it is usually caught by fishing nets incidentally. Also, it is the target of sports activities in the United States, Australia and some parts of Europe.

As a consequence: the blue shark is “Near Threatened” according to the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Therefore, a group of organizations is committed to regulating fisheries and protecting the species, such as the International Plan of Action for the conservation and management of Sharks, the Sustainable Fisheries Act and the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Fisheries and Aquaculture.

Some countries have banned shark finning, but still, there are not international treaties linking all aspects of blue shark protection.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_shark

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/39381/0

http://www.arkive.org/blue-shark/prionace-glauca/

https://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/discover/species-profiles/prionace-glauca

BioExpedition Publishing © 2017.

Great White Shark

There are many species of sharks found in the oceans around the world.

Some of them are very big while others are quite small. Some of them are to be feared while others mind their own business and they are very calm. You may be surprised to learn some of the largest species of sharks in the ocean are the nicest ones to encounter.

This information will help you identify some of the common species of sharks.

There are 440 different species of sharks in the world today classified into eight different orders described below with some examples of known sharks species for each group.

Some of the most popular species of sharks are:

Characteristics of some Types of Sharks

Angel Sharks

One of the most unusual types of sharks our there are know as angel sharks. Many people mistake them for some other types of sea creature. It isn’t uncommon for them to be thought of as large stingrays. But the simplest way to tell them apart is by looking at the location of the fins. On the angel shark, they won’t be on the head.

Leopard shark

This type of shark isn’t a meat eater. Instead it focuses on what it can find along the bottom of the ocean. Clams and mollusks often are a big part of their overall diet.

The coloring of angel sharks allow them to blend in well with the bottom of the ocean though so they often go undetected.

Hammerhead Sharks

Another unique type of shark is the Hammerhead Shark. It has a long head that looks like they ends of a hammer on both sides of it.

Many people are afraid of it due to the way that it looks. Yet it is very unlikely that they will attack a person. Nine hammerhead species are generally recognized but only three types can be dangerous to humans.

Hammerhead Sharks have a very developed sense of smell though and they will go on the hunt for prey in the ocean very aggressively. Read the complete Fact Sheet about the Hammerhead Shark…

Reef Sharks

Reef sharks seem to be able to adapt to life just about anywhere including captivity. They are loners and very seldom interact with other sharks unless it is time for breeding.

Reef Sharks can grow up to six feet long and they have very distinct features. They are gray in color on the top. Underneath they are all white or they have streaks of white. The tips of their fins are black.

Blue Sharks

All sharks swim very fast, but the blue shark is one of the fastest species.

Blue Sharks often look hungry due to the thin body they have. However, they are slender by nature and it has nothing to do with the amount of food they eat. Due to the roundness of most other types of sharks though they do seem quite on the thin side. They aren’t picky at all about what they will eat though so they never go hungry.

The blue shark is considered to be one of the most dangerous sharks in the waters. It has been known to attack people, which makes it one of species of shark that people most fear.

Blue sharks can grow up to 12 feet long so this is no small shark to be trying to get away from. Due to the speed and the strength of it very few of its prey have a chance of survival. Read the Blue Shark Fact Sheet

Great White Shark

Probably the best known species of shark is the great white. This is believed to be the most dangerous type of shark in the world. People have been able to see them as they are among the rare species that do raise their heads out of the water.

Great white sharks can grow up to 16 feet and weight around 1,500-2,400 pounds. Some have been known to weigh around 4,000 pounds but that isn’t the norm.

More people have been attacked by great white sharks than any other shark species. Locations where they are living have been identified and people are encouraged to stay away from them. Even so, swimmers, surfers, and divers have had numerous encounters with them. Read the Great White Shark Fact Sheet.

Grouping Sharks

While all sharks have similarities including they way their bodies are formed they also have many differences. Now that you are aware of some of the different types of sharks out there you can look into those that capture your attention in more detail. Sharks are very interesting and you will find there is an abundance of information out there to explore.

Physical Characteristics of Each Group