Their tail is the same length as the rest of the fishes body. Large thresher sharks have relatively small eyes, curved, narrow-tipped pectoral fins, a narrow-tipped caudal fin, and a conspicuous white patch over the pectoral fin bases. Second dorsal origin well behind the rear tip of the pelvic fin. Upper lobe of caudal fin very long and strap-like, about as long as or longer than length of rest of shark; lower lobe short but well developed . Brown, grey, blue-grey, or blackish on back and underside of snout, lighter on sides and abruptly white below; a white area extends from the abdomen over the pectoral-fin bases; pectoral-, pelvic-, and dorsal fins blackish, white dots sometimes present on pectoral-, pelvic-, and caudal- fin tips

Free swimming in the open ocean.

Slash their tail when swimming through large schools of surface swimming fish, stunning the fish and allowing easy pickings for the shark.

Young often close inshore, 2-7 young born at 115-150cm. A game fish in New Zealand.

A Treasury of New Zealand Fishes: Graham http://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=2535 (accessed (08/12/10)