The blue shark | Facts & Information
# The Blue Shark | Facts & Information
The Blue Shark | Discover Fascinating Facts and Information About The Blue Shark
The blue shark (Prionace glauca) is part of the family Carcharhinidae, order Carcharhiniformes. It can be found in almost all seas and oceans. It has the largest range of all shark species.
The Blue Shark
The Blue Shark (Prionace glauca), also known as the Great Blue Shark or the Blue Shark, is a fascinating and enigmatic species that lives in the world's oceans. Being one of the most widespread species of sharks, the Blue Shark is known for its unique appearance and solitary hunting behavior.The appearance of this shark is stunning, with its elongated and streamlined body that allows it to move quickly through the water. The Blue Shark can reach lengths of up to 3.8 meters and weigh around 200 kilograms. Its upper body is dark blue, while its lower body is white-silver. This combination of colors gives it its specific name "Blue."
The head of this shark is broad, and its eyes are large and round, giving it excellent vision during hunting. Its bite is powerful, with up to 50 sharp teeth in each jaw. Using these weapons, the Blue Shark can catch and consume various prey, including fish, squid, and even other species of sharks.
Due to its size and solitary behavior, the Blue Shark is one of the largest predators in the oceans. However, it is important to note that, despite their terrifying reputation, blue sharks are generally attracted to the movement and vibrations produced by potential prey, rather than humans.
This shark can be found in various ocean habitats, including temperate and tropical zones. Although solitary in nature, small groups of blue sharks can form at certain times of the year at feeding points near the coasts. It is believed that this group behavior may be determined by the abundance of food, but the exact reasons for the formation of these groups are not fully understood.
Migration is an important aspect of the lives of blue sharks. These sharks can cover significant distances in search of food and mating partners. During their journey, they can head towards preferred hunting areas or move towards common breeding grounds. Migration is essential for the survival and perpetuation of the species, as it allows them to find necessary resources and reproduce.
The reproduction of blue sharks is a process that involves internal fertilization. Males insert their reproductive organs into the females' cloaca for sperm transfer. After fertilization, females carry the eggs inside them for about 9 months before giving birth to live pups. A female can give birth to 25 to 50 pups over a span of a few years.
Although blue sharks are an impressive and fascinating species, they face numerous threats. Their survival is jeopardized by overfishing and unregulated fishing practices. Their valuable meat and fins, used in the food industry and traditional medicine, make blue sharks targets of widespread hunting.
In addition, pollution and climate change have a significant impact on the habitats of these sharks. Ecosystem degradation and the destruction of natural habitats can affect the availability of food and reproductive areas. Therefore, the protection and conservation of blue sharks and other shark species are essential to maintain the balance and biodiversity in our oceans.
In conclusion, the Blue Shark is an amazing animal adapted to life in our oceans. With its distinct appearance, solitary hunting behavior, and importance in the marine ecosystem, the species Prionace glauca represents a fascinating subject of study and protection. However, a global commitment to conserving marine habitats and regulating fishing is essential to protect this species and ensure their existence for future generations.
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The blue shark is one of the most common shark species. The blue shark population is most dense in temperate and tropical areas.
Blue shark can be found in literature or in foreign language and under the names: Karharias (Greek), Blue shark (English), Prionace glauca (Latin).
It is currently an endangered fish species due to excessive commercial percussion and bycatch. Shark catches amount to 31,000 tons annually of which most are represented by blue shark with over 75% of the quantity.
It is estimated that 10-20 million blue sharks are killed annually due to fishing. The blue shark cannot breed in captivity because it cannot be bred in captivity. No specimen lasted more than a few months, the record is 7 months.
Feeding The Blue Shark
The blue shark's food consists of various species of small fish, octopuses, shrimps,seal pups, crabs or calamari, but it does not refuse even larger prey, birds or mammals.
The blue shark feeds almost all the time, but its greatest activity is at night.
They have been observed feeding in groups sprouting shoals of fish to feed more easily. Triangular teeth make Prey not escape.
Appearance Blue Shark
The blue shark is 4 meters long and weighs 150-200 kg. It can be easily seen from afar by its slender body with a special coloring. It is the blue color that gives it its name.
The back (dorsal part), like all sharks, has the darkest shade of indigo blue, on the sides the color decreases in intensity, and the abdomen is a whitish light blue.
Characteristic of the blue shark is, apart from the color, the long conical snout and large eyes. The caudal fin that is larger gives it increased propulsion in the water. The skin of the female is about three times thicker than that of the male.
When needed they can move very quickly. The largest specimen was 6.1 meters long. The heaviest specimen weighed 391 kg.
Behavior Of The Blue Shark
The blue shark is loved for its beauty and shape and for the ease and elegance with which it moves in the water. It has a unique social behavior. They form shoals of sharks by size or sex. These unique behaviors could not be explained until now.
It can be found from the surface to depths of 350 meters. In temperate areas it approaches the shore where it can be seen by divers.
It prefers waters with temperatures of 7 to 16 degrees celsius, but tolerates temperatures up to 21 degrees celsius.
It is a migratory and pelagic species that can also be observed in the open oceans at the surface of the water. Sometimes it still protrudes above the water by small jumps. Although it swims relatively slowly sometimes it has the ability to make very fast movements, especially if it is hungry or challenged.
Periodically travels in the Atlantic Ocean. He created a circuit, clockwise, starting from the Caribbean Sea, along the coast of America to the shore of Africa and back to the Caribbean Sea.
Small and young individuals prey on larger shark species such as the great white shark or tiger shark. The blue shark rarely attacks humans. In more than 400 years, from 1580 to 2013, 13 attacks have been recorded.
Breeding The Blue Shark
The blue shark is a viviparous species of shark(which gives birth to fully developed live Cubs). The gestation period can last up to 12 months. During breeding the male bites the female and leaves a scar.
The female can give birth to over 100 cubs, but the average is 25-35 cubs per birth. Young people reach adulthood at the age of 5-6 years.
The life expectancy of the blue shark is 20 years.
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The blue shark | Facts & InformationThe Blue Shark | Discover Fascinating Facts and Information About The Blue Shark