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Blue Shark
Prionace glauca (Linnaeus, 1758)
The Blue Shark has a conical snout, a circular eye, and a long pectoral fin.
The Blue Shark is recognised by its distinctively coloured slender body with a conical snout, and long, scythe-like pectoral fins. It has five gill slits, a heterocercal tail, large circular eyes and a first dorsal fin that is much larger than the second.
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.
Side view of a Blue Shark. Note the slender body, tail shape, and markedly different sized dorsal fins.
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
This species is sometimes confused with the Shortfin Mako Shark (Isurus oxyrinchus). The Blue Shark however has smaller gill slits, longer pectoral fins and serrated teeth.
The images are supplied courtesy of professional photographer Phillip Colla. They show a Blue Shark about 40km off the coast of San Diego, USA.
Further Reading
- Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
- Allen, G.R. & R. Swainston. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 201.
- Stevens, J.D. in Gomon, M.F, C.J.M. Glover & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Last, P.R. & J.D. Stevens. 1994 Sharks and Rays of Australia. CSIRO. Pp. 513.
- Stevens, J.D. (Ed.) 1987. Sharks. Golden Press. Pp. 240.
