Tag: Thresher shark

Can you spot the mako shark in this lineup of predators?

Can you locate the mako shark in a photo quiz issued by Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans?

Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans on Wednesday tweeted a quiz asking viewers if they can guess which of the four sharks in the accompanying image is a mako shark.

We’ll take it a step farther and ask viewers to identify all four sharks in the photo. (Answer provided below.)

Fisheries and Oceans included a link that contains information about the shortfin mako shark and explains that the species is classified as endangered in Canada.

Mako sharks are found globally in tropical and temperate waters, but in the North Atlantic the species is considered to be comprised of a single population.

The sleek and powerful predators and can attain bursts of 40-plus mph while attacking prey such as tuna or swordfish.

Mako sharks can measure 12 feet and weigh more than 1,000 pounds. (The world record catch, set off Massachusetts in 2001, stands at 1,221 pounds.)

In the comments section of the Fisheries and Oceans tweet, several followers provided the correct answer, and a few identified all four species.

The types of sharks, in order: A) White shark, B) Thresher shark, C) Hammerhead shark, and D) Mako shark.

Mysterious shark stranding a ‘learning experience’ for public

The stranding of a large thresher shark Friday in Washington State presented biologists with a unique opportunity to educate interested members of the public.

The stranding of a large thresher shark Friday in Washington State presented biologists with a unique opportunity to educate beachgoers.

The shark, estimated to weigh between 300 and 365 pounds, washed ashore on the Long Beach Peninsula near Ocean Park. It died shortly after Seaside Aquarium personnel arrived in response to reports of the stranding.

It was the second thresher shark to have stranded in the area since Aug. 18, when a 12-foot shark washed ashore. Experts are still trying to determine the reason for both strandings.

But they perceived Friday’s event as an opportunity to provide “a learning experience” for the public, the Seaside Aquarium explained on Facebook.

A public viewing was held on the beach Saturday from 9-11 a.m. That was followed by a necropsy attended by as many as 75 people.

“It is not very often that we get to see these large sharks and anything we can learn or educate the public on is a great opportunity,” the aquarium stated.

Thresher sharks are unique predators, easy to identify because of their long tail fins, which they use to “thrash” and stun schooling fish, which become prey.

Photos: Seaside Aquarium

“People were really interested and asked a lot of great questions,” the aquarium wrote. “Most people were fascinated by the length of the shark’s tail, in which it is named after.”

The next step, hopefully, as to determine why thresher sharks are washing ashore.

“That is the million-dollar question,” the aquarium acknowledged, “and that is why it is important to be able to collect data and various tissue and organ samples.”

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Large shark washes ashore on Southern California beach

A 13-foot thresher shark washed ashore in Huntington Beach on Wednesday with a hook in its mouth.

A 13-foot thresher shark washed ashore in Huntington Beach on Wednesday with a hook in its mouth.

Images of the shark were posted to Facebook by the California State University Long Beach Shark Lab. The mature female shark was collected by lab personnel and a necropsy was planned for Thursday.

Thresher sharks, which can measure nearly 20 feet, are targeted by anglers but it was not immediately clear if being hooked was a factor in the shark’s death.

The shark’s length was measured from snout to the tip of its tail fin. Thresher sharks, which are not considered dangerous to humans, use their scythe-like tails to stun prey.

–Top image courtesy of the CSLB Shark Lab