Even in the depths of the sea there are workers who honestly “earn” their bread, that is, fish, fox shark or sea fox (Alopias).
Despite its large dimensions, the fox shark has no particular desire to attack a person, since it feeds on schooling fish, but if it is really hungry, it will chase after swimming invertebrates and even.
How does a fox shark hunt?
The fox shark is famous for its tail and the way it uses it: after tracking down a school of fish such as mackerel, mackerel, herring and other prey, the shark begins to circle, gradually disorganizing the prey.
With each revolution, the ring narrows, the fish huddles together, loses orientation, and the time comes to use the tail for its intended purpose: like a flail on a thresher, the shark methodically stuns the fish, after which you can calmly proceed to dinner - the stunned prey will not go anywhere for some time.
Watch video - Fox shark hunting:
Now the English name of the fox shark (thresher shark) is clear - thresher shark. One problem is that you need to eat a lot and at once - it is not known when luck will smile again.
The one glorified in legends comes to the rescue: the shark regurgitates what has already been chewed and greedily pounces on a new portion.
Why was the shark called a fox?
For work, that is, for food, the fox shark uses its unsurpassed tail, which, on average, occupies half the body length of the sea shark. Accordingly, if the length of a predator is 5-6 meters, then the length of the tail is 2.5-3 meters.
This is a truly formidable weapon, consisting of a greatly elongated upper caudal lobe (the lower lobe is almost atrophied), which arises from a strongly flattened caudal peduncle. With all this, its weight can reach 500 kg.
Watch video - Fox Shark Jump:
Description of the fox shark
Otherwise, the fox shark is a typical representative. The body is spindle-shaped, arched at the back. The head is small, wide and short.
The mouth is small; crescent-shaped mouth opening; , form rows, sometimes up to 20. The eyes, depending on the species, can be normal or very large. Five small gill slits, and squirt flaps may be absent.
The color is different (do not forget that there are three species in the family): gray, sometimes with a metallic sheen; gray-blue, gray-black, gray-brown - the back is always darker than the belly. Under the head and fins the color is the same as on the back.
The first dorsal fin is large, but the second dorsal and anal fins are small.
It lives almost everywhere: in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans, in almost all tropical and subtropical sea waters.
Puberty occurs at a certain height, on average 4 meters. Quite often they live not alone, but in twos: it is believed that for joint hunting it is easier to find a school of fish and easier to suppress, working in two tails.
Watch the video - Fox shark fighting tail:
Fox shark, brings 2-4 sharks per litter. During the breeding season, it moves closer to the coast, where it stays for several months, monitoring how the water temperature affects the growing offspring.
Fortunately, the predator has no commercial value, does not like to settle on the coast, has a formidable weapon and big sizes– all this greatly helps her not to end up in the Red Book.
True, fishermen are not very fond of the sea fox breed - while hunting for schools of fish, sea foxes get caught in nets and tear them mercilessly. Therefore, fishermen are happy to use a caught shark as bait for other fish.
The largest is the common sea fox (Alopias vulpinus), its size is 5.5-6 meters, and can be found in coastal areas.
The smallest is the pelagic fox shark (Alopias pelagicus), measuring about 3 meters, and lives in the depths away from the shore. The color is a beautiful dark blue with a whitish belly. It has smooth, wide pectoral fins.
The second species has larger eyes than the common fox, but not the same size as the big-eyed fox.
The most “beautiful” big-eyed fox shark (Alopias superciliosus) has unnaturally large bulging eyes.
And all representatives of this family are united by the possession of a magnificent fox tail!
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Fox shark(the second name is “sea fox”, Latin name"Alopias vulpinus") is a species sea sharks, which belongs to the Fox shark family, order Lamniformes.
Signs
Sea foxes are large sharks with an average body length of 3 meters; specimens up to 5 meters long are known. Top part the body is colored dark gray-blue, the belly is white. Average weight Fox sharks weigh 300 kilograms ( Weight Limit is 500 kilograms).
Distinctive sign sea foxes are their caudal fin, the upper blade of which is incredibly large, sometimes exceeding the length of the body of the fish itself. This tail is necessary for fish to hunt. Ichthyologists claim that the sea fox is capable of stunning schools of fish and even birds and small birds with its tail ladle. marine mammals. In search of food, the shark rises to the surface of the water and, seeing potential food, strikes the sea surface with its tail fin.
Habitat
Fox sharks inhabit the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. They prefer to stay in tropical waters, but often swim into waters of temperate latitudes.
Danger!!!
This type of shark does not pose a great danger to humans. However, cases of attacks by these sharks on people have been described. Sea foxes usually hunt collectively, that is, they gather in groups of 3-5 individuals and surround schools of fish, drown them with their tails, and then all together rush to the center of the fish cluster. It is during moments of collective hunting that fox sharks are most dangerous. During the chase, they rush after any moving object in the water.
Class - Cartilaginous fishes / subclass - Elasmobranchii fishes / Superorder - Sharks (Selach)
Storystudying
The largest sea fox is the common sea fox (Alopias vulpinus), its size is 5.5-6 meters, and can be found in coastal areas. The smallest pelagic fox shark (Alopias pelagicus), measuring about 3 meters, lives in the depths away from the shore. The color is a beautiful dark blue with a whitish belly. It has smooth, wide pectoral fins. The eyes are larger than those of a common fox, but not as large as those of a big-eyed fox. The most “beautiful” big-eyed fox shark (Alopias superciliosus) has unnaturally large bulging eyes. And all representatives of this family have in common the possession of a magnificent fox tail.
Spreading
These sharks can be found near California and in parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
The pelagic fox shark (Alopias pelagicus) lives in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It can also be found off the coast of China, Taiwan, Western Australia and many other countries. 
Externalview
Adult fox sharks measure about 4.7 meters and weigh about 360 kilograms. Outwardly, these sharks are distinguished by their huge eyes, which is typical for individuals that live in dark places.
Structural features
The fox shark has a very long upper lobe of the caudal fin, reaching the length of the entire body.
Reproduction
Fox sharks are viviparous. Adult females are capable of giving birth to no more than two sharks. Newborn individuals measure about 1.5 meters. With a body length of about 4 meters, fox sharks reach sexual maturity.
Lifestyle
When hunting, this shark uses its long tail as its main weapon. Approaching a school of fish, the sea fox begins to circle around it, foaming the water with whip-like blows of the caudal fin. Gradually the circles become smaller and smaller, and the frightened fish gather in an increasingly compact group. It is then that the shark begins to greedily swallow its prey. Sometimes a pair of sea foxes takes part in such a hunt. In some cases, the sea fox acts with its tail fin as a flail, using it to stun its prey.
Nutrition
The main food of fox sharks is small fish and shellfish. The fox shark (Alopias vulpinus) has a rather long upper part of the caudal fin. It has dimensions comparable to the body size of a shark. The fox shark hunts with the help of its fin. She wedges herself into a school of fish and begins to beat her tail different sides, stunning the fish. She then slowly eats her prey. Large individuals often attack even dolphins.
Number
Fortunately, it has no commercial value, does not like to settle on the coast, has formidable weapons and large size - all this greatly helps it not to end up in the Red Book.
Fox shark and man
Fox sharks are completely harmless to humans, but when divers dive, they circle around him, although they do not attack. However, there is information that these individuals attacked boats.
frilled shark
Frilled shark (Chlamydoselachus anguineus) - the only one in its family deep sea shark. Maximum length - 2 m. Bears offspring for about three and a half years.
The frilled shark is a rare and unusual species of shark. The maximum length is no more than two meters. The shark's body is serpentine. The anal, dorsal and two pelvic fins are located closer to the tail. Which makes it look more like an eel than a shark. She hunts according to the same principle as a snake. First it bends and quickly straightens in a jerk. And these are not all of its unique differences. Up to three dozen rows of small and very sharp teeth will not let the victim out. Even if she manages to escape, she will receive numerous lacerations. The frilled shark hunts small cephalopods and small sharks. This shark, unlike its relatives, does not tear the victim into pieces, but swallows it whole. Capable of swallowing fish half the length of its body. It lives at a depth of up to 1.5 thousand meters, but most often it can be found at a depth of about 200 meters.
The frilled shark got its name from the skin folds near the head, of which there are 6 on each side. They were formed by gill fibers, which cover the gills. A shark can cover its gills to create pressure inside its mouth, which helps it swallow food. The average length of these sharks is about one and a half meters. The largest specimen known to science reached a length of 2 meters.
Pregnancy of the frilled shark lasts 3.5 years. This is the longest pregnancy of all. known to science vertebrates. In one month, the embryo grows on average 1–1.5 cm. At three months, the embryo has a fully formed jaw, fins and external gills, but it will remain in the womb for more than 3 years. Newborns are about 50 cm long. The frilled shark gives birth to an average of 10–15 pups.
The frilled shark has no special value for humans, unlike others sea creatures. But it often gets caught in fishermen's nets and is eaten. This shark is considered rare species due to its small numbers. The deep-sea habitat does not save the species either.
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From
Pelagic largemouth shark
The pelagic largemouth shark (Megachasma pelagios) is the only species known to science today from the genus Megachasm. In addition, this is one of three species of sharks whose diet includes plankton.
Science knows only three species of sharks that feed on plankton: the giant whale shark and the pelagic largemouth shark. The pelagic largemouth shark lives at different depths from 50 to 1,600 m. The species was discovered in 1976. Until now, it is the only specimen of the family. According to 2014 data, only 60 individuals of this species were found. Habitat: Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans.
The largest individual of the species was a female pelagic largemouth shark. Its length was 5.7 m. It was caught in fishing nets off the coast of Japan. Although the female was released, she later washed ashore dead. Little is known about the life of these sharks. Judging by the structure of the teeth, which are quite small, awl-shaped, and the study of the stomach of dead individuals, these sharks are filterers. Their diet includes krill and other small ocean inhabitants.
Since the body of this shark is quite weak, it leads a passive lifestyle. For hunting plankton, it has its own secrets. When the mouth opens, the upper jaw moves forward. Thus, opening the silvery rim of the mouth, which is a bait for plankton.
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From
Class: cartilaginous fish
order: Carchariformes
family: gray sharks
genus: gray sharks
Habitats
The gray reef shark is found throughout almost the entire water area of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, sticking to coral reefs, strong currents and depths of up to 280 m.
Distinctive properties
The average body length usually reaches 1.9–2 m, males are slightly larger than females. The maximum weight of a gray shark caught is 33.7 kg. Color - various shades of gray, sometimes brownish and even bronze. The shark's body is shaped like a torpedo.
Lifestyle
This is an intelligent, cunning and fast animal with a phenomenal sense of smell and high-speed reaction, showing great interest in everything that moves. Gray sharks are active throughout the day, hunting mainly at night, gathering in small schools of 5 to 20 individuals. Lives up to 25 years.
Reproduction
During the mating season, gray reef sharks protect an individual area from other individuals of their species, the area of which is about 4 km2. When a competitor appears, the animal first demonstrates dissatisfaction by making sharp swings of its tail and distinctly arching its back. The gray reef shark is a viviparous species. Once a year, a female gives birth to 1–6 cubs.
Food and enemies
The main prey is fish, mollusks and crustaceans, the favorite is octopuses and other cephalopods. There are practically no natural enemies. Only angry individuals of their own species or humans pose a danger.
Source
From
Class: cartilaginous fish
order: Carchariformes
family: gray sharks
genus: gray sharks
The Malagasy night shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) lives in the tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Through the Suez Canal the species entered the Mediterranean Sea. Tries to stay in the coastal zone and shallow waters.
Distinctive properties
The average body length is 1.5–1.8 m, and the weight is 45 kg. The body shape is torpedo-shaped and streamlined, the head is slightly flattened. A distinctive feature of the species is the black end of the first dorsal fin.
The tip of the second dorsal and anal fins may also be black. The upperparts are grayish-brown, the underparts are white.
Lifestyle
Night predator. Prefers to stay in small groups and never forms large flocks.
There are known cases of attacks on people, but without deaths. It can live calmly in fresh or slightly brackish water. These large marine predators are attached to the same habitats. Average duration life - 30 years.
The predator's diet is based on fish, crustaceans and mollusks.
The main enemies of sharks are toothed whales.
Reproduction
Puberty occurs when body size reaches 95–97 cm. Mating season lasts from November to March. During the courtship period, the male not only actively pursues the female, but also strikes her in the fin area, and the wounds heal completely only after 4–6 weeks. Pregnancy lasts, according to various sources, from 7 to 16 months. Shark is a viviparous fish. At the same time, 2–3 baby sharks 2–4 cm long are born. Cubs are born every two years. Babies grow quickly, adding up to 23 cm annually.
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From
Class: cartilaginous fish
order: stingrays
family: rhomboid
genus: diamondback rays
Habitats
The sea fox, or spiny ray, is most common along the east coast Atlantic Ocean. The expanses of water from Norway to Namibia are where the world population of these stingrays accumulates. The species is found in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, off the coast of South Africa and Madagascar.
What does a sea fox look like?
The female sea fox can reach a length of 120 cm, the male is slightly smaller - maximum length its body is 70 cm. The shape of the body resembles a rhombus. The upper side of the sea fox's body is covered with numerous spines, it is rough and colored in brownish tones with a pattern of dark and light spots. The long and thin tail is also covered with spines. The underside of the body is light and smooth. The color of the skin is variable - it greatly depends on the habitat of the stingray.
Lifestyle and nutrition
The main habitat of the species is the muddy seabed. Stingrays live at depths of 20–300 m and deeper. In summer they come quite close to the coastline, and in winter they migrate to the depths.
It feeds on bottom crustaceans, sometimes small fish.
Various predatory fish pose a danger, but stingrays know how to defend themselves and are perfectly adapted to survive in the aquatic environment.
Reproduction
The sea fox, like other rays, reproduces by oviparity. After mating, the female begins to lay eggs - up to 170 within a year. Each egg is enclosed in a dense protective capsule, which has special processes and threads on the sides, with the help of which the female attaches the eggs to the algae. In the corner of each egg there is a small hole for oxygen, so the fry can breathe. After 5 months, miniature stingrays are born - each no more than 12 cm in length. Once the juvenile reaches 15–17 cm in length, it is capable of hunting independently.
Source
We have already discussed a lot of interesting things about sharks, seen and and and even. But we somehow missed the fox shark, but now we’ll find out everything about it.
Fox sharks, fox sharks, thresher sharks, thresher shark. These marine predators differ from other species of sharks by the unusually long upper blade of the caudal fin. When and why Mother Nature awarded the ancestors of fox sharks with such a strange tool is not known for certain, but modern fox sharks successfully use their tail to effectively hunt prey - small schooling fish.
Photo 2. 
The fox shark, or sea fox, is a unique representative among the shark community. This is the only shark that uses an unusual weapon to hunt prey - its own tail.
The fox shark wields its tail perfectly. Acting with it like a flail during grain threshing, she crushes the fish so that she can then calmly eat it.
The fox shark's hunt for fish looks like this: first, it circles around a school of fish, driving them into an increasingly dense pile. At the same time, the movements of the tail fin of the fox shark resemble the movements of a whip in the hands of a cowboy.
Photo 3. 
As a result, gradually, the fish are driven closer and closer together, and the shark begins to choke the fish with its powerful tail. The fox shark greedily swallows the stunned fish. This “sea cheat” has an excellent appetite; she has to work hard to fill her stomach. In some cases, having filled its stomach and not wanting to miss the prey swimming in a stunned state on the surface of the sea, the fox shark regurgitates excess food from the stomach and begins the feast again. The usual exorbitant shark greed for food.
Several fox sharks (usually a pair) often take part in such a hunt, which, acting together, achieve better and faster results in obtaining food
Photo 4. 
When hunting for moving fish, it often jumps out of the water (in one observation, a pelagic shark jumped out five times in a row).
An interesting detail is that this fish is often hooked by anglers precisely by the tail fin, as it strives to stun the bait, as a result of which it gets caught on the tackle.
Photo 5. 
The English name of the fox shark is thresher shark, translated as thresher shark, which it received precisely for its unique way of hunting.
It should be noted that the common fox shark Alopias vulpinus has two other sisters that make up the genus Alopias. These are the bigeye fox shark and the pelagic fox shark. These two species of predators are less common than the common fox shark, but have many similar external characteristics.
Photo 6. 
The bigeye fox shark is a deep-sea species of fox shark. It is distinguished by huge eyes, allowing the predator to distinguish prey in the darkness of the depths. It has the same caudal fin design as the common fox shark - the upper blade reaches half the length of the entire body.
Photo 7. 
The pelagic fox shark is a smaller representative of long-tailed marine predators and this species lives, as the name suggests, in the pelagic region, i.e. away from the coastline. It is rarely found in coastal waters. Basic hallmark pelagic fox shark from the common fox shark - the upper blade of its caudal fin is much narrower, more reminiscent of a whip. In addition, it is significantly smaller in size than its relative.
Photo 8. 
To catch a fox shark, the same fishing methods are usually used as for catching marlin. Any bait can be used edible fish. The bait can either be dropped deep or allowed to drift. You can try using artificial baits used for marlin fishing. It is known that fox shark meat was used as bait to catch other sharks.
Fishermen leading commercial fishing, they can’t stand this shark, as it often inadvertently gets into their nets and, trying to free itself, tears them to shreds.
Photo 9. 
Fox sharks are considered potentially dangerous to humans due to their large size and dangerous “tail weapon.” They often swim near divers and divers, but there have been no recorded cases of attacks on people by these sharks. At least, having examined many sources of information about these sharks, I could not find facts confirming that fox sharks are man-eaters. But many ichthyologists classify fox sharks as dangerous shark species for humans. It is difficult to imagine that a person can supplement the diet of this shark, since it has very small teeth and a small mouth.
In addition, these sharks are extremely shy and usually prefer to retreat when trying to approach it. But, as we have already clarified, any shark, like any sea animal whose size is comparable to that of a human, poses a potential threat to people, regardless of whether the facts of the attack have been recorded or not.
Photo 10. 
During underwater filming, scientists discovered that the fox shark uses its tail fin to flush sardines from the shallows. This clever use of the caudal fin during hunting, previously only seen in mammals such as dolphins and killer whales, means sharks are smarter than scientists thought.
Simon Oliver, lead researcher on the Fox Shark Research and Conservation Project, and his colleagues studied sharks off the coast of Cebu, an island in the Philippines. Oliver works at the University of Liverpool and has been observing animals since 2005. But the first time he saw sharks hunting was when divers reported seeing them in the Philippines. “I immediately dropped everything and went there,” he says.
Photo 11. 
When hunting, a shark first enters a school of fish, smoothly moving its tail. Then she sharply strikes with her tail, swinging it like a catapult in a 180° arc. All this happens in one third of a second, fast enough to stun the fish and create a shock wave (see picture below). Each strike can stun up to seven sardines, so Oliver believes this is the most efficient way of hunting in terms of energy expended.
Oliver claims that food shortages have caused sharks to start hunting near the surface of the water in daytime, which enabled scientists to see this phenomenon. He also notes that due to industrial fishing, the number of sardines in this part of the ocean is very limited.
Photo 12. 
Research shows conclusively that fox sharks hunt using their tails. This is quite natural, because they have a rather long tail. But a decline in the sardine population could lead to the death of the species. We still know little about what else fox sharks can feed on, and this is hardly their only hunting tactic. - Nigel Hussey, oceanographer, University of Windsor, Ontario
Photo 13. 
Research is confident that fox sharks are smarter than biologists thought. "Eat a large number of evidence of this," he says. "The intelligence of sharks has allowed them to develop a relatively complex and effective hunting strategy."
Although predators hunt in small groups, like dolphins, Oliver doesn't think this can be called social cooperation.
Photo 14. 
Photo 15. 
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