 | Click here to purchase your breathtaking printed copy of the
ANGLER'S GUIDE TO FISHES OF THE GULF OF MEXICO!
This book is a given for recreational and commercial fishermen as well as anyone who loves the outdoors! Since most anglers identify their fish by reviewing illustrations rather than using scientific keys, the authors have succeeded in making fishing easier by providing superb illustrations and detailed diagnostics for fish identification. A valuable, one-stop reference tool for everyday anglers, fisheries experts, biologists, and outdoors writers, this guide includes intensively researched information on 207 species of saltwater fish, essential data on each species’ habitat, identification, typical size, and food value. By Jerald Horst & Mike Lane, illustrated by Duane Raver. 207 species. |
|
| Other Names : | Thresher Shark | | Range & Habitat : | Gulfwide, usually in offshore waters | | Identification & Biology : | This is the easiest of sharks to identify; only it and its much less common relative, the bigeye thresher shark, Alopias superciliosus, have a huge elongated tail fin. The bigeye thresher has an enormous upward-looking eye. Thresher sharks feed on small schooling fish species which they stun with blows from their tail. Because of this habit, thresher sharks are often hooked in the tail.
A strange form of intra-uterine canabalism, called 'oophagy', is known to occur in thresher sharks. A female retains her eggs until the first batch of embryos hatches inside her. These young sharks then feed on later batches of eggs which the female continues to produce. Only 2 to 4 young survive to birth in each litter. The pups are quite large, averaging 48-60 inches long. | | Size : | May reach 15-20 feet, but nearly half of that length is tail. The largest fish are over 1,000 pounds, but 500 pounds is more common. | | Food Value : | Thresher sharks have good food value. See 'Nurse Shark' entry for handling tips. Bigeye thresher sharks are a protected species. | | Description by: Jerald Horst, Associate Professor, Fisheries - LSU AgCenter |
|
