shark
Pelagic thresher.
Alopias pelagicus · also: Fox shark
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
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.
Conservation
Endangered — longline and gillnet fisheries; tail and fins highly valued; very low output.
IUCN · Endangered
Watch them responsibly
Keep well back and stay calm (very shy); minimise bubbles and don't crowd cleaning stations.
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
Want to dive with pelagic thresher?
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Sightings are typical, not guaranteed — encounters vary with season and conditions.