Blue Shark

ID points

• Indigo blue back and pure white belly with a sharp dividing line
• Very long sickle-shaped pectoral fins and a slender body
• Long pointed snout with large round eyes

Basics

Family

Carcharhinidae

Length

2.0–3.8 m

Depth

0-350 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs · Caribbean & W. Atlantic · Temperate & polar · Open ocean

Distribution

Upper and middle layers of temperate and tropical oceans worldwide

Habitat

Open ocean, surface and mid waters

Diet

Fish, cephalopods

Easily confused with

Caribbean Reef SharkStout body, first dorsal fin starting over the rear edge of the pectoral finsOceanic Whitetip SharkPectoral fins and first dorsal fin very long with rounded tipsBull SharkStout body with a short blunt snout that looks cut off flat

Fun fact

The blue shark is deep blue above and white below, with a slim, elegant body and large round eyes. It is famously curious and will circle slowly around divers. It crosses tens of thousands of kilometres on ocean migrations, yet its numbers have collapsed under overfishing driven by the fin trade.

More in this family

• Blacktip Reef Shark
• Grey Reef Shark
• Lemon Shark
• Silky Shark
• Tiger Shark
• Whitetip Reef Shark