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Animal profile

Blue Shark

Prionace glauca

ChondrichthyesOpen ocean, mainly in the upper few hundred metres of temperate and tropical seasNear Threatened

Field profile

The blue shark is a slim, long-finned oceanic shark with deep indigo upper surfaces and a white belly, typically two to three metres long. It ranges further than almost any other shark and feeds mainly on squid and small schooling fish. It is also the most heavily caught shark in world fisheries.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2024-10-13

Blue Shark

Blue sharks cross entire ocean basins in a year

Tagging in the North Atlantic has followed individual blue sharks from the eastern seaboard of North America to Europe and Africa, with movements of several thousand kilometres. The species is the most widely distributed shark in the world.

Read with evidence →

Blue Shark | Daily Animal Facts