Like great whites, pelagic threshers are a type of mackerel shark. However, unlike the shark that inspired Jaws, which is known for its ferocious teeth, the thresher shark’s secret weapon is its whip-like tail which can immobilize multiple prey in an instant.

These cartoonish, torpedo-shaped fish have big eyes and a small, downturned mouth. Smaller and lighter in color than the other thresher species—the bigeye (Alopias superciliosus) and common thresher sharks (Alopias vulpinus)—pelagic threshers (Alopias pelagicus) have a blue-gray back, light blue-gray sides, and a white underbelly. Their deadly and flexible tails can be longer than their bodies.

Its distinctive tail is the thresher shark’s secret weapon when