Blue Shark
Prionace glauca

Physical Description

• A large, graceful, slim shark with large eyes.
• Usually dark blue in color with unmistakably long pectoral (side) fins.
• Name comes from their blue coloration, unique among sharks.
• Males reach a maximum length of 12 feet but usually around 9 feet in length.
• Females reach a length of 7 feet in length.
• Mature females often have bite scars from mating.

Range

• Distribution throughout worldwide oceans.

Habitat

• Live in temperate and tropical seas.
• Found in the open ocean far from the coasts.

Reproduction

• During most of year males and females live in different regions of ocean.
• Travel long distances to come together briefly during mating season.
• Mating is via internal fertilization.
• Males may bite females aggressively during mating so females have thick protective skin.
• Females give birth to live young after 9-12 months.
• Litters can be up to 100 pups, though rarely that large.

Diet

• Primarily small squid, as well as crustaceans, small to large fish, seabirds, and even other, smaller species of sharks.

Predators

• Orcas, larger sharks, such as the great white shark and shortfin mako shark.

Interesting Facts

• Blue sharks are possibly the most wide-ranging shark in the world.
• The blue shark can travel tens of thousands of miles in a year, and can travel across whole ocean basins multiple times in their lifetime.
• They use their large pectoral fins to ride the currents to conserve energy while migrating.

Sources: Sharks of the World: An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date; Oceana; Newfoundland Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture; NOAA SWFSC; Sharks.org

Photo: Walter Heim