page_title: Blue shark
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Blue shark / Description
caption_attribution_description: Prionace glauca English: An image of the Blue shark.
context_page_description: The blue shark is a species of requiem shark. It has a slim, smooth-looking body with large eyes, and a long, cone-shaped snout. The dorsal surface is a dark blue colour, and the belly is white.
  The largest blue sharks can reach lengths of up to 3.8 metres, and weigh as much as 206 kg. The shark is found worldwide in temperate and tropical waters. They range from the surface to as deep as 350 metres, and prefer water with the temperature of 7 to 16 °C.
context_section_description: The blue shark has a slim, smooth-looking body with large eyes, and a long, cone-shaped snout that is longer than the width of its mouth. It has extremely long, pointed pectoral fins, which are usually as long as the distance from its snout to the front of its gill slit. The dorsal fin is moderate in size. It is located closer to the pelvic fins than to the pectoral fins. The blue shark's name comes from its distinct dark blue dorsal surface, and bright blue sides. The belly is white. The colours of the blue shark help it to camouflage in the open ocean. The largest blue shark on record measured 3.8 metres (12.5 feet), but they are rumored to get as large as 6.1 metres (20 feet). Males reach maturity at the ages of 4–5 years, when they are at the lengths of between 1.8-2.8 metres (6-9.2 feet). Females mature at slightly older ages from 5–6 years, when they are at the lengths of between 2.2-3.2 metres (7.2-10.5 feet). The largest blue sharks range in weights from 204–206 kg (450-454 pounds).
caption: A drawing of a blue shark
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