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The Pelagic Thresher Shark, sometimes just called the Pelagic Thresher (Alopias pelagicus), is a species of shark found in both Endless Ocean and Endless Ocean 2.
It is a relatively small, harmless species of shark with large eyes and a mouth that always makes it look a little surprised. The most distinctive part of its appearance, however, is the top half of its tail fin, which is nearly as long as the shark's main body.
In-Game[]
Marine Encyclopedia[]
Endless Ocean[]
Description[]
"These fish have spindle-shaped bodies with short, conical mouths. Their most striking feature is the tail fin--the top portion of which is almost as tall as the body is long. They are dark above the pectoral fins and white on the belly and can be seen mostly in Rock Bluff during the winter.
These sharks have large eyes and exceptional vision, which enables them to hunt at night. They are also comfortable swimming at a variety of depths and have been seen several hundred feet below the surface. Though they appear dull, the dark patches on the body actually have a glossy metallic shine.
To hunt, they gather in areas that are ripe with fish and squid, then use their long tail fins to hit and startle their prey. Once weakened, the prey can be eaten at leisure. Despite this somewhat aggressive feeding behavior, pelagic threshers are somewhat docile creatures. Unless provoked, they usually are not threatening to humans."
Endless Ocean 2[]
Description[]
"The upper half of its caudal fin is very long, almost the same length as its body. It uses it to swim and also to hunt; it herds fish or squid into one place and beats them by swinging its tail furiously before eating the weakened prey.
It is said to be docile and is unlikely to attack a human unless provoked."
Location[]
Endless Ocean[]
Pelagic threshers can be found in Blue Holes in spring, and in Rock Bluff in winter. One individual can be seen patrolling the southernmost corner of the Great Drop-off at E9. The path this lone shark takes brings it outside of the map's diving limits for an extended period of time, so it can be hard to find.
They can also be found in other places, though only at night. These include traveling in the tunnels of the Great Aqua Cave, and clustering around the Fighter Wreckage in Ship's Rest in a group of roughly 4 or 5.
Endless Ocean 2[]
These can be found swimming around Ciceros Strait near the North and South Canyons, generally staying close to the surface.
This shark can also be encountered in the Private Reef if a Pumpkin has been placed.
Behavior[]
These sharks swim either alone or in slow, medium-sized groups. They are not dangerous in either game and will not attack the player. They enjoy being petted, poked, and fed.
Gallery[]
.png "Pelagic Thresher (EO1 1).png (292 KB)")
.png "Pelagic Thresher (EO1 2).png (687 KB)")
.png "Pelagic Thresher (EO1 3).png (176 KB)")
.png "Pelagic Thresher (EO1 4).png (1.18 MB)")
Notes[]
Real-Life Information[]
- True to the in-game descriptions and depictions, the tail fin of the pelagic thresher is as long or longer than the shark itself[1]. To hunt, it uses its tail as both games report, striking the fish with great force to stun them so they can easily be devoured[2][3]. Like the second game says, it may herd fish or squid into a tighter shoal, which makes hunting them easier, and may gather in groups to do this[4][5].
- The long tail is a commonality shared with the other two species of thresher sharks - bigeye threshers (Alopias superciliosus) and common threshers (Alopias volpinus)[6][7]. The common thresher is the largest of these, and the pelagic thresher is the smallest, averaging around 10 feet (3 meters)[3][8].
- As both games report, the pelagic thresher is a harmless, docile shark - there are no reported attacks on humans[9][10]. In fact, they are notably shy, which makes them difficult to even approach in the wild, much less get close enough to provoke them[11][12].
- The first game says that the pelagic thresher is comfortable swimming at many depths, and has excellent eyesight. This is true - they swim as deep as 985 feet (300 meters), and are known to inhabit the mesopelagic, or twilight, zone of the ocean[13][14][15]. Most of the time, though, they are epipelagic (which means that they swim somewhat close to the surface in the open ocean)[16].
- The "metallic shine" mentioned in the first game's description is corroborated by real-life descriptions, in which the pelagic thresher's color has been termed "silvery"[5][17].
- The pelagic thresher is classified as an endangered species[13]. They are slow to mature and only have two pups per litter, which means that they can't recover their population numbers as quickly[18]. The main threat to said population numbers is human fishing, because pelagic threshers are sought after for the things most sharks are caught for - fins, skin, and liver[19][20].
- An interesting adaptation of the pelagic thresher is that it has a form of warm-bloodedness, which allows it to have higher energy and strength[5][21].
- The pelagic thresher is an active shark, known to jump out of the water[3][4]. It is also quite a fast swimmer[22].
- Pelagic threshers are also called small-tooth thresher sharks, fox sharks, and whiptail sharks[12][23].
[]
Red Sea Bream
• Asian Sheepshead Wrasse
• Golden Trevally
• Giant Trevally
• Largehead Hairtail
Pilotfish
• Mahi-Mahi
• Antarctic Toothfish
• Longtooth Grouper
• White Grouper
• Humphead Wrasse
Giant Grouper
• Great Barracuda
• Meagre
• Bartail Flathead
• Atlantic Tarpon
• Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
Chinook Salmon
• Striped Marlin
• Indo-Pacific Sailfish
• Olive Flounder
• Coelacanth
• Red Cornetfish
European Conger Eel
• Great White Shark
• Scalloped Hammerhead
• Sand Tiger
• Greenland Shark
Tiger Shark
• Whale Shark
• Basking Shark
• Pelagic Thresher Shark
• Great Sturgeon
Bowmouth Guitarfish
• Dwarf Sawfish
• Remora
• Whitetip Reef Shark
• Banded Houndshark
• Epaulette Shark
• Zebra Shark
• Tasselled Wobbegong
• Japanese Bullhead Shark
Blotchy Swell Shark
• Cloudy Catshark
• Japanese Angelshark
• Japanese Eagle Ray
• Manta Ray
References[]
- ↑ Oceana.org
- ↑ LiveScience Video
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Animals Network
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 International Game Fish Association
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Florida Museum
- ↑ Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance
- ↑ Shark Advocates CITES Fact Sheet
- ↑ Planet Shark Divers
- ↑ Florida Museum (Species Implicated in Shark Attacks)
- ↑ Sharkwater Extinction
- ↑ Elasmo-Research
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Elasmodiver
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 IUCN Red List
- ↑ FishBase
- ↑ Shark and Ray ID Guide
- ↑ Marine Species Identification Portal
- ↑ FAO
- ↑ Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
- ↑ Edge of Existence
- ↑ Fish of Mexico
- ↑ Biology Dictionary
- ↑ Shark Foundation
- ↑ Fishes of Australia