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Deepseawaters Home Deepsea
AnimalsBlue Shark
Blue Shark
Common Name: Blue Shark
Scientific Name: Prionace glauca
Description
 Blue
sharks are a distinctive dark indigo blue on top, which blends
to a lighter bright blue down their sides and ends with a
bright white under belly. Soon after death their blue coloration
fades to dark gray. Blue sharks have long slender bodies and
pointed snouts. Their pectoral fins are long and sickle shaped.
The teeth in their upper jaw are triangular, serrated and
curved? their lower teeth are narrower and very sharp. Blue
sharks generally attain a length of 6 to 8 feet and weigh
from 50 to 200 pounds. Large blues can grow to 12 feet in
length and weigh over 400 pounds.
Diet
The
Blue Shark eats mainly fish and cephalopods such as squid.
Baby Blue Sharks are nourished via a yolk sac placenta, and
are born at a length of 35-50cm. Adults grow to 3.83m
Blue
sharks reportedly feed on anchovy, mackerel, hake, dogfish,
squid and pelagic crustaceans including euphausiids. Elsewhere
also known to feed also on small sharks and seabirds. May
feed more actively at night, with highest activity in the
early evening.
Behaviour
Blue sharks are pelagic and migratory in nature. They frequently
swim together at the surface and are known to follow boats
to get a free meal. Blue sharks are a popular sportfish in
the Gulf of Maine because they are plentiful and are easy
to catch. Most blue sharks are released when caught because
of the poor quality of their meat as food. Chumming with herring,
mackerel and menhaden works well when trying to attract these
sharks.
This
species is pectoral fins very long, narrow, pointed, Caudal
fin nonlunate, Body slender, Snout rounded, long, Color dark
blue above, bright blue with metallic hues on sides, white
underside, First dorsal fin closer to pelvic fins than to
pectoral fins.
Habitat
Offshore;
relatively cool waters 45-70°F (7-21°C); surface to about
1,970 ft (600 m).
Life
History
Maximum
reported size is 396 cm TL (~13 ft) but blue sharks taken
off the U.S. West Coast average much smaller are seldom over
260 cm TL or 8 ? ft. For Pacific blue shark, size and age
at 50% maturity in males is 203 cm TL or 6 ? ft. and 4-5 years
old, and in females at 186 cm TL or 6 ft and 5-6 years old.
Maximum age is estimated to be at least 20 years.
Special
Features or Habits
It
is the most wide-ranging shark species, being recorded in
all tropical and temperate seas, from 50oN to 40oS. The Blue
Shark is usually found in water of 12oC to 20oC, and is recorded
from the surface to a depth of 350m. In Australia it is recorded
from all marine waters except the Arafura Sea, Gulf of Carpentaria
and Torres Strait.
Location
or Region Found
Newfoundland,
Canada, to Argentina, including Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean
Sea. Common in U.S. Northeast and mid-Atlantic.
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