Thresher Shark Info  Thresher Shark Info  Thresher Shark Info
Thresher sharks are large lamniform sharks of the family
Alopiidae found in all temperate and tropical oceans of the
world; the family contains three species, all within the genus
Alopias.   The three extant thresher shark species are all in
the genus Alopias. The possible existence of a hitherto
unrecognized fourth species was revealed during the course of a
1995 allozyme analysis by Blaise Eitner. This species is
apparently found in the eastern Pacific off Baja California, and
has before been misidentified as the bigeye thresher. Thus far,
it is only known from muscle samples and no aspect of its
morphology has been documented.  Alopias pelagicus H. Nakamura,
1935 (pelagic thresher) Alopias superciliosus R. T. Lowe, 1841
(bigeye thresher) Alopias vulpinus (Bonnaterre, 1788) (common
thresher)  Phylogeny and evolution    Distribution and habitat
Although occasionally sighted in shallow, inshore waters,
thresher sharks are primarily pelagic; they