Porbeagle Shark

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Lamna nasus

DESCRIPTION

This very active swimmer has a powerful streamlined body that reaches a maximum length of approximately 3 m. The back of the Porbeagle Shark is dark grey to bluish black in colour and its belly is white. The head is stout, the snout is pointed and the eyes are large. The mouth has rather large, pointed blade-like teeth with smooth edges that are identical on both jaws. Males reach maturity at age 8 and females at age 13. The Porbeagle Shark's typical life expectancy is estimated to be between 25 and 46 years.

RANGE

HABITAT

The Porbeagle Shark is a large coastal and oceanic shark that lives in cold to temperate waters. It is found in the North Atlantic Ocean and, globally, in the South Atlantic Ocean, South Indian and South Pacific oceans. In the northwest Atlantic Ocean, the Porbeagle is found in the waters off Greenland, Iceland, Canada, and the United States. In Canada, this species occurs in an area extending from Newfoundland to the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Scotian Shelf and the Bay of Fundy. The Porbeagle Shark is found at surface waters and to depths of up to 1400 m. Although more commonly encountered on continental shelves, it is also found in ocean basins far from land and, occasionally, closer to shore. Mating in the Northwest Atlantic is thought to occur on the Grand Banks, off southern Newfoundland, at the entrance to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and on Georges Bank.

DIET

BEHAVIOUR

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PRIMARY ECOSYSTEM ROLES

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