# Common thresher (*Alopias vulpinus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-thresher  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The common thresher (Alopias vulpinus) is a fish in the sharks and rays subgroup, belonging to the family Alopiidae in the order Lamniformes. It is classified in the class Elasmobranchii, phylum Chordata and kingdom Animalia, and its scientific name authority is (Bonnaterre, 1788). The global IUCN Red List assessment lists the common thresher as Vulnerable (VU), an IUCN threatened category. Other English names for the common thresher include slasher, sea fox, tresher, sea ape and thresher.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | up to 6 m |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 274 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2 |
| Reproduction | Live birth |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Elasmobranchii
- order: Lamniformes
- family: Alopiidae
- genus: Alopias
- species: *Alopias vulpinus* (Bonnaterre, 1788)

Synonyms: *Alopecias barrae*, *Alopecias chilensis*, *Alopecias longimana*, *Alopecias vulpes*, *Alopias caudatus*, *Alopias greyi*, *Alopias macrourus*, *Alopias vulpes*, *Carcharias vulpes*, *Galeus vulpecula*, *Squalus alopecias*, *Squalus vulpes*, *Squalus vulpes*, *Squalus vulpinus*, *Vulpecula marina*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the common thresher?

The common thresher is a fish in the sharks and rays subgroup. It belongs to the family Alopiidae in the order Lamniformes.

### What is the scientific name of the common thresher?

The scientific name of the common thresher is Alopias vulpinus, in the genus Alopias.

### Is the common thresher endangered?

The common thresher is listed as Vulnerable (VU) in the global IUCN Red List assessment, which is an IUCN threatened category.

### What other names does the common thresher have?

The common thresher is also called slasher, sea fox, tresher, sea ape and thresher.

### What class does the common thresher belong to?

The common thresher belongs to the class Elasmobranchii, within the phylum Chordata and kingdom Animalia.

## Sources

- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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).
- [Sharkipedia: a curated open access database of shark and ray life history traits](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6656525), CC BY 4.0, 1.0-2022-06-17. Mull, C.G., Pacoureau, N., Pardo, S.A. et al. (2022) Sharkipedia: a curated open access database of shark and ray life history traits and abundance time-series. Scientific Data 9: 559. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01655-1. Data: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6656525
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Common thresher (Alopias vulpinus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-thresher