Mackerel Sharks are found worldwide, in tropical and marine waters. Some types of Lamniformes go farther out into the Sub-Antarctic seas. All species of the order are distributed around the globe. The Mackerel sharks are small but very diverse. There are many types of Mackerel sharks; a couple types of these sharks are sand tiger sharks and thresher shark. The sand tiger shark males are 2.75 meters long; females are 3.60 meters long. The biggest sand tiger shark reported was 367cm long.

 

The reason why they are called sand tiger sharks is that they blend in with the sand. Another one, is the goblin shark complete sets of fossils have been found in Lebanon. They say they're about 90 million years old. To find a complete set of fossils is very rare. Megamouth shark is another type of thresher shark. There are seven really diverse families, and about 10 genera, about 16 species of big oceanic and coastal sharks. Six families, eight genera, and eleven species are found in California waters.

 

The thresher sharks use their tails to kill or stun their food. They usually eat squid or fish. They are around 10 feet long, with a lifespan of around 20 years. These types of sharks tend to live at 500 feet in depth. They also prefer warm water. They are very solitary sharks, so they don't swim in big groups. They are commonly found near the North American and Asian continental shelves. These living lamniforms are the remaining descendants of a much greater lamniforms lineage that have for the most part gone extinct. These types of sharks are the easiest of thresher sharks and Mackerel sharks to spot.

 

If you were out on a boat or something you might be able to see a pelagic thresher shark and recognize it. These Shark swim close to the surface. Mackerel sharks can only live in salt water as all other sharks do, but their features are all completely different. Like some sharks teeth are sharper than others. Some tails are longer than others some snouts are longer and more elated than others. They also have different ways of killing their food.

 

Author: Matthew M.

Published: 10/2008