📸 PhotoPhoto: NOAA Observer Program · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons Source
Pelagic thresher
Alopias pelagicus (Pelagic thresher · ニタリ)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 A maximum total length of 4.28 m is similar to the length of a passenger car (about 4.5 m) (comparison).
- 💡 Its meat is used for food, liver oil for vitamin extraction, skin for leather goods, and fins are also utilized, while anglers target it as a game fish (FishBase).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
The pelagic thresher is a shark living in the open surface waters of tropical seas, occasionally coming close inshore or entering atoll lagoons. It is known for stunning prey by striking it with its tail.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
It becomes an adult at about 2.6–2.9 m in length and grows up to 4.28 m (3.83 m in females). Embryos grow inside the mother by feeding on the yolk sac and other ova produced by the mother.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It is thought to feed on small fishes and cephalopods, stunning prey with its tail. A lifespan of up to 29 years has been reported.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
It is a species recorded in Korea and listed on Korea's National Species List.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List EN (2019) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/161597/68607857
- • IUCN Red List category EN — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • catalogueoflife.org — C5K6
- • iucnredlist.org — 68607857
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000057263 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000057263
- • wikidata.org — Q1274522
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Alopias pelagicus.jpg
- • fishbase.se — Alopias-pelagicus.html
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Aaron O'Dea · CC0 1.0
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.