A graceful open-water shark whose scythe-like tail can be as long as its entire body — and which it cracks like a whip to stun schooling fish. The smallest of the three thresher species, it has huge eyes for hunting in dim, deep water. Maldives sightings usually come at deeper offshore cleaning stations.
- Size
- ~3.0–3.5 m (half is tail)
- Weight
- ~70–90 kg (length 3–4 m including tail).
- Diet
- Schooling bony fishes and squid, stunned with the tail.
- Lifespan
- ~28–29 years.
- Depth
- Surface to ~300 m commonly; recorded to ~750 m.
- Reproduction
- Aplacental viviparous with oophagy; very low fecundity — usually just 2 pups.
- Snorkel or dive
- Dive only — advanced (deep)
- Best season
- Year-round at Fuvahmulah; best Jan–Apr
- Conservation
- Endangered
How to recognise it
Enormous scythe-like upper tail lobe nearly as long as the body; small mouth; big eyes.
Behaviour in the wild
Uses its whip-like tail to stun schooling fish; deep-dwelling and shy; visits cleaning stations.
Where to see it in the Maldives
Fuvahmulah — cited as the only known pelagic thresher cleaning station in the W. Indian Ocean.
Visual field notes
See pelagic thresher from more than one angle.
3 human-reviewed photographs chosen for identity, habitat and behaviour.
01 · Field portrait · Species reference
PhotoPetter LindgrenCC BY-SA 3.0web-adapted
02 · Behaviour & scale · Species reference
PhotoJames Heilman, MDCC BY-SA 4.0web-adapted
03 · Habitat · Species reference
PhotoThomas AlexanderCC BY-SA 4.0web-adapted
Recorded locations
Build a trip from real sighting records.
Atolls
Dive and snorkel sites
Conservation context
Endangered — longline and gillnet fisheries; tail and fins highly valued; very low output.
IUCN · Endangered
Watch responsibly
Keep well back and stay calm (very shy); minimise bubbles and don't crowd cleaning stations.
Field notes
One of the few fish that hunts with its tail, cracking it like a whip.
One of the few sharks to hunt with its tail, swinging the upper lobe overhead to whip and stun whole groups of fish.
Collective noun · a shiver of sharks
Profile references
References are shown transparently; profile copy may also include editorial synthesis. Seasons and sightings vary with wild conditions.
