blue shark, (Prionace glauca), also called great blue shark, shark of the family Carcharhinidae found in tropical and temperate oceans. The blue shark is noted for its attractive deep-blue colouring contrasting with a pure-white belly.
What is the name of a blue shark?
Prionace glauca
The blue shark was named Prionace glauca by Linnaeus in 1758. Prionace is derived from Greek, “prion” meaning saw and “akis” meaning point, while the species name glauca is derived from the Latin term “glaucas” meaning bluish gray or green in English, referring to the blue color of the shark.
What is another name for blue shark?
The blue shark (Prionace glauca), also known as the great blue shark, is a species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae, which inhabits deep waters in the world’s temperate and tropical oceans.
Are there any blue sharks?
Blue sharks can get up to 13 feet in length but generally are closer to 10 feet long. They have a deep blue color dorsally, which fades to light blue on the sides and white on the belly. They have slender bodies with large eyes and a cone shaped snout.
Are blue sharks rare?
Blue sharks are a pelagic species that live in the open ocean, and are one of the most widely distributed of all shark species. They are found worldwide in all oceans, in both temperate and tropical waters.
Is the blue shark friendly?
Blue sharks can’t be said to be friendly, but they are curious and may approach a diver to investigate them. They may bite if the diver has been spearfishing and has caught something the shark considers a meal.
What is the largest blue shark?
The largest recorded blue shark measured 12.6 feet. Matures at approximately 4-6 years of age (between 6-10 feet) and is estimated to live up to 20 + years.
Is a blue shark the same as a mako shark?
The shortfin mako shark (/ˈmɑːkoʊˌ ˈmeɪ-/; Māori: /ˈmaːko/; Isurus oxyrinchus), also known as the blue pointer or bonito shark, is a large mackerel shark. It is commonly referred to as the mako shark, as is the longfin mako shark (Isurus paucus).
Did Megalodon exist?
The biggest shark in the world
The earliest megalodon fossils (Otodus megalodon, previously known as Carcharodon or Carcharocles megalodon) date to 20 million years ago. For the next 13 million years the enormous shark dominated the oceans until becoming extinct just 3.6 million years ago.
Are blue sharks extinct?
The blue shark is on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Near Threatened globally, according to the 2005 assessment. As of 2016, the Mediterranean population was considered Critically Endangered. Their fins remain the most heavily traded of all species in the Hong Kong fin trade.
What is the friendliest shark?
The leopard shark is the first on our list of least dangerous shark species to be utterly harmless to humans. There has not been a single report of a human being bitten by a leopard shark.
How common are blue sharks?
According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the blue shark is considered “near endangered.”
Why are some sharks blue?
Yes, we had to mention the obvious – these sharks are blue. Their stunning skin ranges from a distinct deep blue on top, to bright-blue sides and a crisp-white underbelly. This contrast in colours is known as countershading and provides camouflage for the shark in the open ocean!
Where are blue sharks found?
The blue shark occurs in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans in both inshore and offshore waters. This wide ranging species is found from 50º N latitude to 50ºS latitude. In the western Atlantic it can be found from Newfoundland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Argentina.
How much does a blue shark cost?
Blue Shark – $15.35 per kg
Blue shark is a controversial fish when used as a meat source because the populations are low in the oceans and fishing for them is discouraged and looked down upon.
How fast is a blue shark?
The blue shark reaches an average speed of up to 43 mph / 70 kph and is found in both temperate and tropical oceans. However, even though they are called the “wolves of the sea”, blue sharks – like most sharks – are actually not that aggressive at all.
Do sharks sleep?
Sharks do not sleep like humans do, but instead have active and restful periods.
Do blue sharks swim in schools?
With their triangular shaped teeth, and their impressive swimming, blue sharks easily catch smaller prey. However, they are also capable of taking down larger prey. Blue sharks can often be found in schools.
What is the biggest shark in the world?
The whale shark
The whale shark, Rhincodon typus, is the largest fish in the world. It is found in tropical and temperate oceans, in both deep water and coastal areas.
Is there a shark bigger than Deep Blue?
Due to natural size constraints, scientists have speculated that great white sharks are unlikely to ever surpass 21 or 22 feet long. So even if a larger shark is ever discovered, it will probably exceed Deep Blue in size by only a matter of a few inches or perhaps a foot.
When was Deep Blue shark last seen?
Deep blue has only been encountered a very small number of times the last being back in 2013 by Mauricio Hoyos of the Guadalupe islands. She is estimated to be between 19-21 feet in length and could be up to 50 years old.