Blue shark
Prionace glauca (Linnaeus, 1758)
NTNear Threatenedsharks and rays
The blue shark (Prionace glauca) is a fish in the sharks and rays subgroup, belonging to the family Carcharhinidae in the order Carcharhiniformes. It was named by (Linnaeus, 1758) and is the species of the genus Prionace in the class Elasmobranchii.
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Quick facts about the blue shark
The IUCN Red List global assessment places the blue shark in the Near Threatened (NT) category, which is not an IUCN threatened category. Other English names for the blue shark are great blue, blue whaler, great blue shark and blue whaler shark.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- 3.1 msrc for Length
- Lifespan
- up to 20 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- 25 – 100src for Young per litter or clutch
- Reproduction
- Live birthsrc for Reproduction
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Near Threatened (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the blue shark?
Photos of the blue shark
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the blue shark live?
Not recorded
What is the blue shark?
The blue shark (Prionace glauca), also known as the great blue shark, is a species of requiem shark in the family Carcharhinidae which inhabits deep waters in the world's temperate and tropical oceans. It is the only living species of genus Prionace. An extinct species, P. clarki, is known from teeth from California of the Late Pliocene. Averaging around 3.1 m (10 ft) and preferring cooler waters, the blue shark migrates long distances, such as from New England to South America. It is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.
Although generally lethargic, they can move very quickly. Blue sharks are viviparous and are noted for large litters of 25 to over 100 pups. They feed primarily on small forage fish and squid, although they can take larger prey. Some of the blue shark's predators include the killer whale and larger sharks like the tiger shark and the great white shark. Their maximum lifespan is still unknown, but it is believed that they can live up to 20 years. They are one of the most abundant pelagic sharks, with large numbers being caught by fisheries as bycatch on longlines and nets.
The earliest fossil teeth of this species are known from the Miocene of Sri Lanka. Other fossil teeth of this species are known from the Miocene and Pliocene of Chile, Italy, and possibly Belgium.
From the Wikipedia article “Blue shark” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blue_shark&oldid=1381702311), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the blue shark endangered?
The blue shark is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List: it is close to qualifying as threatened.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Near Threatened species.
How is the blue shark classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classElasmobranchii
- orderCarcharhiniformes
- familyCarcharhinidae
- genusPrionace
- SpeciesPrionace glauca (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Carcharhinus glaucus, Carcharhinus macki, Carcharias aethiops, Carcharias glaucus, Carcharias gracilis, Carcharias hirundinaceus, Carcharias pugae, Carcharias rondeletii, Carcharinus glaucus, Galeus thalassinus, Glyphis glaucus, Hypoprion isodus, Isurus glaucus, Prionace mackiei, Prionacea glauca, Squalus adscensionis, Squalus caeruleus, Squalus glaucus, Squalus rondeletii, Thalassinus rondeletii, Thalassinus rondeletti, Thalassinus rondelettii, Thalassinus rondelettii, Thalassorhinus vulpecula
Other names and names in other languages (97)
- Blue whalerEnglish
- Blue whaler sharkEnglish
- Blue whalersEnglish
- Great blueEnglish
- Great blue sharkEnglish
- BlouhaaiAfrikaans
- ZéricaArabic
- القرش الأزرقArabic
- قرش أزرقArabic
- Kalb al bharArabic
- Mouch labharArabic
- Qarsh MizraqqArabic
- TintureraAragonese
- caníaAsturian
- CaelhaAsturian
- Блакітная акулаBelarusian
- Синя акулаBulgarian
- ব্লু শার্কBangla
- mord'hastBreton
- Morc'hast c'hlasBreton
- morghi glasBreton
- žralok modrýCzech
- morgi glasWelsh
- Morgwn GlasWelsh
- blåhajDanish
- BlauhaiGerman
- blauer HaiGerman
- އަނދުން މިޔަރުDivehi
- Γλαυκός καρχαρίαςGreek
- ΓαλάζιοςGreek
- ΓλαυκοκαρχαρίαςGreek
- TintoreraSpanish
- tiburón azulSpanish
- sinihaiFinnish
- peau bleueFrench
- requin bleuFrench
- Requin peau bleueFrench
- Siorc gormIrish
- cù-gormScottish Gaelic
- biast-ghormScottish Gaelic
- tarbh-dallaigScottish Gaelic
- QuenllaGalician
- כריש כחולHebrew
- ModruljCroatian
- kékcápaHungarian
- CagnaItalian
- CanescaItalian
- squalo azzuroItalian
- verdescaItalian
- ヨシキリザメJapanese
- 청새리상어Korean
- melsvasis ryklysLithuanian
- MatawhāMāori
- NgengeroMāori
- Taha pounamuMāori
- Сина ајкулаMacedonian
- നീലസ്രാവ്Malayalam
- Kelb il-baharMaltese
- Łóóʼ hashkéhé dootłʼizhígííNavajo
- blåhaiNorwegian Bokmål
- blauwe haaiDutch
- Grote blauwe haaiDutch
- blåhaiNorwegian Nynorsk
- blåhaiNorwegian
- Tribon blouPapiamento
- rekin błękitnyPolish
- żarłacz błękitnyPolish
- نیلی شارکWestern Panjabi
- tintureiraPortuguese
- Pas modruljPortuguese
- Tubarão-azulPortuguese
- синяя акулаRussian
- Голубая акулаRussian
- Синяя (голубая) акулаRussian
- Žralok belasýSlovak
- sinji morski pesSlovenian
- peshkaqeni bluAlbanian
- peshkaqeni jeshilAlbanian
- МодруљSerbian
- CaniscaSardinian
- blåhajSwedish
- ma'o iri moanaTahitian
- ปลาฉลามสีน้ำเงินThai
- Mavi PamukTurkish
- mavi kopekbaligiTurkish
- mavi köpekbalığıTurkish
- pamuk baligiTurkish
- pamuk balığıTurkish
- Акула блакитнаUkrainian
- блакитна акулаUkrainian
- 水沙Chinese
- 大翅沙Chinese
- 大青鯊Chinese
- 大青鲨Chinese
- 爛沙Chinese
- 鋸峰齒鮫Chinese
- 鋸峰齒鯊Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the blue shark
Other species in the same genus Prionace.
CompareBlue shark vs Carcharias munsingBlue shark vs Cynocephalus niger
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What is the scientific name of the blue shark?
The scientific name of the blue shark is Prionace glauca.
What kind of animal is the blue shark?
The blue shark is a fish in the sharks and rays subgroup. It belongs to the family Carcharhinidae, order Carcharhiniformes and class Elasmobranchii.
Is the blue shark endangered?
No, the blue shark is listed as Near Threatened (NT) in the IUCN Red List global assessment, which is not an IUCN threatened category.
Who named the blue shark?
The blue shark was named by (Linnaeus, 1758).
What are other names for the blue shark?
The blue shark is also called great blue, blue whaler, great blue shark and blue whaler shark.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Blue shark (Prionace glauca). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/blue-shark
“Blue shark (Prionace glauca).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/blue-shark.
@misc{blue_shark_2026,
title = {Blue shark (Prionace glauca)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/blue-shark},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}