Origin
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 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.
