COMMON NAMES: Pelagic Thresher Shark, Thresher Shark, Pelagic Thresher Shark, Smalltooth Thresher Shark; French Renard Pélagique

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Mangō Sikuloa / Mangō Pāla (TS), Mangō Sikuroa / Mangō Pāra (TW), Palata? (PK); Other Polynesian - Mao Aero (TAH)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE circumtropical, incl. e.Africa - Societies, Hawai‘i - tropical America; n. to s.Japan; s. to New Caledonia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; An active, strong-swimming shark. Feeds mostly on small schooling fishes and squid, which it herds and stuns with its long, whiplike caudal fin. Are sometimes tail-hooked by longliners. Not known to a; Marine, pelagic

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Injurous bite - serious

KEY FEATURES: To 340cm total, 170cm body and 170cm caudal fin. Dorsal lobe of tail about as long as rest of body, large erect first Dorsal Fin and very small second Dorsal fin; Anal Finvery small, Pectoral Fins nearly straight and broad-tipped. Terminal lobe on tail is about as long as deep - from the subterminal notch. Head is strongly arched between the eyes. Mouth ventral, small, with small blade-like teeth in more than 29 rows. White abdominal area does NOT pass over Pectoral fin-bases.

SIMILAR SPECIES: The present species has been widely confused with Thresher Shark (Alopias vulpinus), and both are likely in our area. In vulpinus the white abdominal area passes OVER the pectoral fin bases, and pectoral fins are curved with a sharp tip; and on the tail the terminal lobe (from subterminal notch) has a length about double the depth. Bigeye Thresher (Alopias superciliosus) could also occur in this area; is has a distinctive notch or helmet-like groove on the head above and behind the eyes, the eyes are large and extend onto the dorsal surface of the head; the white of the belly does not pass over the bases of the pectoral fins.