Description: A large, slender shark. Long snout, narrow head, and large eyes. The pectoral fins are long and pointed; the first dorsal fin is about three times the size of the second one. Has a weak keel on the caudal peduncle. Dorsal colouration deep blue, bright blue on the sides, then abruptly white on the underside.
Global Distribution: Circumglobal in tropical, subtropical and temperate waters. View Map
BIOLOGICAL FEATURES
Size: Maximum length 400 cm (total length); common length 335 cm (TL); maximum published weight 205.9 kg.
Reproduction: Viviparous. Sexual dimorphism occurs in skin thickness of maturing and adult females. The female gives birth up to 80 young measuring 40 cm long, gestation lasts almost a year. Produces from 4 to 135 young a litter.
Maturity: range 170 - 221 cm. Age at sexual maturity 4-5 years old.
Behavioural ecology:
Population structure & migrations: Highly migratory species; may travel considerable distances.
ECOLOGICAL FEATURES
Depth range: FishBase: 1 - 1000 m, usually 80 - 220 m.
Habitat: Pelagic. Oceanic, but may be found close inshore where the continental shelf is narrow.
Feeding habits: Feeds on fishes (herring, silver hake, white hake, red hake, cod, haddock, pollock, mackerel, butterfish, sea raven and flounders), small sharks, squids, pelagic red crabs, cetacean carrion, occasional sea birds and garbage.
Trophic level: FishBase: 4.2
FISHERIES
Commercial interest:
Conservation status: Global: Near threatened.
Northeast Atlantic: Near threatened.
Europe: Near threatened.
Nutritional information & food safety:
REFERENCES
Direcção Regional de Pescas, Madeira.
Ebert D.A., Stehmann M.F.W. (2013). Sharks, batoids, and chimaeras of the North Atlantic. FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes, No. 7. FAO, Rome, 523 pp.
Gibson C., Valenti S.V., Fordham S.V., Fowler S.L. (2008). The Conservation of Northeast Atlantic Chondrichthyans: Repost of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group Northeast Atlantic Red List Workshop. IUCN Species Survival Commission Shark Specialist Groups, NatureBureau, Newbury, UK, 76 pp.
IUCN (2014). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. www.iucnredlist.org
Nieto A., Ralph G.M., Comeros-Raynal M.T., Kemp J., GarcÃa Criado M., Allen D.J., Dulvy N.K., Walls R.H.L., Russell B., Pollard D., GarcÃa S., Craig M., Collette B.B., Pollom R., Biscoito M., Labbish Chao N., Abella A., Afonso P., Ãlvarez H., Carpenter K.E., Clò S., Cook R., Costa M.J., Delgado J., Dureuil M., Ellis J.R., Farrell E.D., Fernandes P., Florin A-B., Fordham S., Fowle, S., Gil de Sola L., Gil Herrera J., Goodpaster A., Harvey M., Heessen H., Herler J., Jung A., Karmovskaya E., Keskin C., Knudsen S.W., Kobyliansky S., KovaÄić M., Lawson J.M., Lorance P., McCully Phillips S., Munroe T., Nedreaas K., Nielsen J., Papaconstantinou C., Polidoro B., Pollock C.M., Rijnsdorp A.D., Sayer C., Scott J., Serena F., Smith-Vaniz W.F., Soldo A., Stump E., Williams J.T. (2015). Europen Red List of Marine Fishes. IUCN and European Union, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 90 pp.
