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Blue Shark

Blue Shark, Prionace glauca

Source: http://bit.ly/1GpPaX1 Photographer: Mark Conlin Public Domain Image

Blue Shark, Prionace glauca
Source: http://bit.ly/1GpPaX1 Photographer: Mark Conlin Public Domain Image

Blue Shark Facts

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Source: http://bit.ly/2Pgz6Du Photo Credit: NOAA Fisheries West Coast CC License: http://bit.ly/2UmFFF8

Blue Shark Physical Description

True to its name, the Blue Shark boasts a deep blue color on the upper body. Its sides display a lighter shade of blue, and the belly also typically shows white.

Like many related species, the animal also displays moderate sexual dimorphism, with the females being slightly larger than the males.

The male Blue Shark attains lengths of up to 9.3 ft (2.8 m), while the somewhat larger female only reaches 10.8 ft (3.3 m).

Not only do the females grow larger in this amazing species, they literally have thicker skin (3 times as thick to be exact).

Source: http://bit.ly/2VOeTar Photographer: Shane Anderson Public Domain Image

Blue Shark Distribution, Habitat, and Ecology

Most notably, the Blue Shark lives in most temperate and tropical regions, usually in deep water, at depths of as much as 1,150 ft (350 m).

This remarkable ocean creature also migrates enormous distances, sometimes as far as from New England, in the United States, to South America.

The animal also evolved a unique mating ritual in which the male repeatedly bites the female. This serves as the reason she evolved thicker skin for self-defense.

It evolved as a viviparous creature, so often gives birth to as many as 100 live young at one time. Its precise lifespan remains undetermined but estimates put it at 20 years.

This species feeds primarily on a variety of squid, but will also prey on other invertebrates such as lobsters, shrimp, cuttlefish, and crabs. Larger types of sharks form its only known natural predators.

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