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Shark fox(the second name is "sea fox", the Latin name is "Alopias vulpinus") is a species of sea sharks that belongs to the Fox shark family of the Lam-shaped order.

Signs
Sea foxes are large sharks with an average body length of 3 meters; specimens up to 5 meters long are known. The upper part of the body is painted in a dark gray-blue color, the belly is white. The average weight of fox sharks is 300 kilograms (maximum weight is 500 kilograms).

Distinctive sign sea ​​foxes are their caudal fin, the upper lobe of which is incredibly large, sometimes exceeding the length of the fish itself. Such a tail is necessary for a fish to hunt. Ichthyologists claim that the sea fox is capable of stunning schools of fish and even birds and small marine mammals with its tail ladle. In search of food, the shark rises to the surface of the water and, seeing potential food, strongly strikes the sea surface with its tail fin.

Habitat

Fox sharks inhabit the basins of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. They prefer to stay in tropical waters, but not infrequently swim in the waters of temperate latitudes.

Danger!!!

This type of shark does not pose a great danger to humans. Nevertheless, cases of attacks of these sharks on people are described. Sea foxes usually hunt collectively, that is, they gather in 3 - 5 individuals and surround schools of fish, choke them off with their tails, and then all together rush to the center of the concentration of fish. It is at the moments of collective hunting that fox sharks are most dangerous. During the chase, they rush after any movable object in the water.

Genus: Alopias Rafinesque = Fox sharks, sea foxes

Species: Alopias vulpinus (Bonnaterre, 1788) = Common sea fox

Common Seal Fox = Alopias vulpinus

The common sea fox (Thresher Shark) was first described by Bonnaterre in 1788 as Squalus vulpinis and later changed to its current name: Alopias vulpinus (Bonaterre, 1788). The word Vulpinus is derived from "fox" - Latin for vulpes.

Synonymous names include Squalus vulpes Gmelin 1789, Alopias macrourus Rafinesque 1810, Galeus vulpecula Rafinesque 1810, Alopias caudatus Philipps 1932, Alopas greyi Whitely 1937, and others.

Also called: Fox shark, Sea fox, Common thresher, Fish shark, Fox shark, Longtail shark, Sea fox, Swingtail, Swiveltail, Thresher, Thresher shark, Whiptail shark

The common sea fox is widespread in all oceans, mainly in the temperate and subtropical zones. In the warm season, this shark migrates to the seas of the temperate zone. In the Atlantic Ocean, for example, in summer it reaches the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Lofoten Islands (Northern Norway).

In the western Atlantic, it is found from Newfoundland to Cuba and from southern Brazil to Argentina. In the eastern Atlantic from Norway and the British Isles to Ghana and the Ivory Coast, including the Mediterranean Sea.

In the Indo-Pacific region, it is found in the waters of South Africa, Tanzania, Somalia, Maldives, Chagos Archipelago, Gulf of Aden, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia. Shark is also found in Oceania Islands, Hawaii, and in the eastern Pacific region - from the coast of British Columbia through central California and Panama south to Chile.

The common sea fox lives in tropical and temperate waters, and is found both in the open ocean and near shores. It usually stays in the surface layers of water, sometimes jumping over the surface.

The sea fox prefers cool seawater, but it can also wander in cold coastal areas. She is capable of diving, if necessary, to a depth of 350 m.

The sea fox is a typical pelagic shark. The common sea fox reaches 5-6 m in length. The maximum recorded length is 760 cm. Adult sea foxes weigh between 200-350 kg. The maximum weight is about 450 kg. It has small jaws, but can use its tail to chase and even kill fish. Their tail keel has a very elongated upper lobe. The pectoral fins are sickle-shaped, narrow and curved. Like other sharks, it has an anal fin, 5 gill slits, 2 dorsal fins without any internal skeleton, a mouth behind the eyes, and eyes without blinking eyelids.

The sea fox has few, blade-like, smooth, twisted teeth. There are 20 teeth on both sides of the upper jaw and 21 teeth on both sides of the lower jaw. The teeth from a sample taken off the Massachusetts coast were nearly 13 feet long.

The body of the common sea fox has a brown, gray or black back and a light belly, but there are dark spots near the pelvic fin and the beginning of the tail. The flanks of the body are above the base of the pectoral fins with a white patch that extends forward from the ventral region.

Great sharks attack young sea foxes, but adults have no known predators. The common sea fox lives for 20 years or more.

The usual food of the sea fox is various schooling fish, which it devours in large quantities.

Bony fish make up 97% of the sea fox's diet. Blue fish and oilseeds are the most common food. They also feed on mackerel, herring, mackerel and other species.

The teeth are small, but strong and sharp, they are able to grab not only a variety of small fish, but also squid, octopus, crab, and even a seabird.

By way of life, the sea fox is a pelagic, highly migratory, nocturnal species. She is a marine species that inhabit both coastal and ocean waters. It is most commonly seen far from the coast, despite the fact that it often cruises close to the coast in search of food. Adults are common over the continental shelf, while young people live in coastal coves and near the water's edge.

The common sea fox uses its long tail as its main weapon while hunting. Approaching the school of fish, the sea fox begins to circle around it, churning the water with whip-like blows of its tail fin. Gradually, the circles become smaller and smaller, and the frightened fish gathers in an increasingly compact group. It is then that the shark begins to greedily swallow its prey. Sometimes a pair of sea foxes participate in such a hunt.

In some cases, the sea fox acts as a flail with its tail fin, using it to stun its prey. Fish is not always such a victim. We observed, in particular, how a shark attacked seabirds sitting on the surface of the water in this way. A precise blow by the tail - and the shark, which turns around, grabs its not quite usual prey.

In the stomach of one specimen, about 4 m long, for example, 27 large mackerels were found.

They are very strong swimmers, so they can jump almost entirely out of the water.

Reproduction takes place by ovoviviparity (females do not have a placenta), and the fertility of this shark is very low - the female brings only two to four sharks, though very large. Their length at birth can reach 1.1 - 1.5 m and weigh between 5-6 kg.

The time of birth is confined to the warm summer season. Females give birth to 4-6 cubs. Sharks (more precisely, shark embryos) hatch from eggs while still inside the female. Developing embryos are ovophages; they will eat smaller, weaker shark embryos while in the womb.

On average, young sharks grow by 50 cm per year, while adults by about 10 cm.

Females become sexually mature with a body length of at least 2.6-3.5 m, males - 3.3 m.

Sea foxes are not aggressive and pose no danger to human life, but an attack can be provoked. Sharks are shy and difficult to approach. Divers who encountered these sharks claim that they did not act aggressively. There are two known provoked attacks by these sharks on boats with people. The large tail of the sea fox can injure divers when attacked.

They have some commercial value, sometimes being caught in the by-catch of tuna. The meat and fins of the sea fox are of good commercial quality. Their skins are used for the skin, and the fat from their liver can be used for a number of vitamins.

The total number of the common sea fox is decreasing due to the depletion of fish stocks. Shark abundance in American Atlantic water has declined to about 67% of its previous abundance.

On the range, status and abundance of the sea fox in the Mediterranean: Common or frequent species. Everywhere in the western Mediterranean up to Sicily; somewhat less common from southern Tunisia and more and more sporadic farther east to Libya and Egypt. Sicilian and Maltese straits - sometimes local abundance. Cosmopolitan in the Ionian Sea, also on both sides of the Adriatic where the sea fox is found off the northern coasts; the coast of the Balkan Peninsula, the Aegean Sea, Turkey, the Dodecanese and Cyprus; a rarer species off the coast of Lebanon and Israel.

The waters, although they prefer cool temperatures. They are found both in the open ocean at depths of up to 550 m, and near the coast and usually stay in the surface layers of water. Fox sharks make seasonal migrations and spend summers in the lower latitudes.

The diet mainly consists of schooling pelagic fish. Fox sharks hunt using their long tail as a whip. They shoot down, drive and stun their prey, this explains their English name in English. thresher shark, which literally translates as "thresher shark". They are powerful and fast predators capable of jumping out of the water completely. Their circulatory system is modified to store metabolic heat energy and heat the body above the temperature of the surrounding water. Reproduction occurs through placental viviparity. The litter contains up to 4 newborns.

Despite their large size, it is believed that fox sharks do not pose a danger to humans, since they are shy and have small teeth. This species is an object of commercial fishing and sport fishing. Their meat and fins are highly prized. Low reproductive rates make common sea foxes very susceptible to overfishing.

Taxonomy

Megachasmidae



Alopiidae

Alopias vulpinus




undescribed view Alopias sp.










The species was first scientifically described as Squalus vulpinus in 1788 by the French naturalist Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre. In 1810 Constantin Samuel Rafinesque described Alopias macrourus based on an individual caught off the coast of Sicily. Later authors recognized the existence of a separate genus of fox sharks and synonymous Alopias macrourus and Squalus vulpinus... Thus, the scientific name of the fox shark became Alopias vulpinus .

Generic and specific names come from the Greek words, respectively. ἀλώπηξ and lat. vulpes, each of which means "fox". In old sources, this species is sometimes called Alopias vulpes .

Morphological and allozyme analysis revealed that the fox shark is a basal member of the clade, which also includes the big-eyed and pelagic fox sharks. The possibility of the existence of a fourth, hitherto undescribed species, belonging to the genus of fox sharks and the most closely related Alopias vulpinus, was rejected after an allozyme analysis in 1995.

Area

The range of common foxes spans temperate and tropical waters around the world. In the western Atlantic, they are common from Newfoundland to the Gulf of Mexico, although they rarely appear off the coast of New England, as well as from Venezuela to Argentina. In the eastern Atlantic Ocean, they inhabit from the North Sea and the British Isles to Ghana, including Madeira, the Azores and the Mediterranean Sea, and from Angola to South Africa. In the Indo-Pacific region, fox sharks are found from Tanzania to India, in the Maldives, off the coast of Japan, Korea, southeast China, Sumatra, the east coast of Australia and New Zealand. They are also found around numerous islands in the Pacific Ocean, including New Caledonia, Society Islands, Tabuaeran and Hawaii. In the eastern Pacific, they are found in coastal waters from British Columbia to Chile, including the Gulf of California.

Fox sharks make seasonal migrations, moving to high latitudes following masses of warm water. In the eastern Pacific, males make longer migrations than females in late summer and early fall, reaching Vancouver Island. Young sharks prefer to stay in natural nurseries. There are probably separate populations with different life cycles in the eastern Pacific and western Indian Ocean. There are no cross-ocean migrations. In the northwestern Indian Ocean from January to May, when offspring are born, territorial and vertical segregation by sex is observed. Analysis of mitochondrial DNA has revealed significant regional genetic variation in fox sharks found in different oceans. This fact confirms the hypothesis that sharks from different habitats, despite migrations, do not interbreed with each other.

Despite the fact that fox sharks are sometimes seen in the coastal zone, they are mainly pelagic and prefer to stay in the open sea, sinking to a depth of 550 m. Young sharks are more often found in shallow waters near the coast.

Description

A characteristic feature of fox sharks is a strongly elongated upper lobe of the caudal fin, the length of which may be equal to the length of the body. Common sea foxes are active predators; with the help of their tail, they are able to stun the victim. They have a sturdy torpedo-shaped body and a short, broad head with a tapered, pointed snout. There are 5 pairs of short branchial slits, with the last two located above the long and narrow pectoral fins. The mouth is small, arched. In the mouth there are 32-53 upper and 25-50 lower teeth rows. The teeth are small, without serrations. The eyes are small. The third eyelid is missing.
Long, sickle pectoral fins taper to narrow, pointed tips. The first dorsal fin is rather high and is located closer to the base of the pectoral fins. The pelvic fins are approximately the same size as the first dorsal fin; males have thin, long pterygopodia. The second dorsal and anal fins are tiny. There is a dorsal and ventral crescent-shaped notch in front of the caudal fin. A small ventral notch is located at the edge of the upper lobe. The lower lobe is short, but well developed.

The skin of fox sharks is covered with small, overlapping placoid scales, each of which bears 3 ridges. The posterior edge of the scales ends with 3-5 marginal teeth. The color of the dorsal surface of the body is from metallic lilac-brown to gray, the sides are bluish, the belly is white. The white coloration extends to the base of the pectoral and pelvic fins, distinguishing fox sharks from similar pelagic fox sharks, which lack spots at the base of the fins. Possibly white edging of the tips of the pectoral fins.

Red foxes are the largest member of the family, reaching a length of 7.6 m and a weight of 510 kg.

Biology

Nutrition

97% of the diet of common sea foxes consists of bony fish, mainly small and schooling, such as bluefish, mackerel, herring, garfish and glowing anchovies. Before attacking, sharks circle around the school and seal it with blows of their tail. They sometimes hunt in pairs or small groups. In addition, large single fish, for example, sawtooths, as well as squids and other pelagic invertebrates can become their prey. Off the coast of California, they hunt mostly California anchovy. Engraulis mordax, oregon hake Merluccius productus, Peruvian sardine, Japanese mackerel, squid Loligo opalescens and crab Pleuroncodes planipes... During the period of cold oceanographic regimes, the composition of their diet is poorer, while during periods of warming, the range of food expands.

There are numerous reports of fox sharks killing prey with the upper lobe of the tail fin. Repeated cases were recorded when, when making a blow, they caught their tail on the longline. In July 1914, Russell J. Coles witnessed how the common sea fox would send prey into its mouth with a flick of its tail, and if it missed, the fish flew a considerable distance. On April 14, 1923, oceanographer W.E. Allen, standing on the pier, heard a loud splash nearby and saw a swirl of water 100 meters away, which could have been produced by a diving sea lion. A moment later, a meter flat tail rose above the surface of the water. Further, the scientist observed how the fox shark pursued the California atherina Atherinopsis californiensis... Having overtaken the prey, she whipped it with her tail, like a coachman's whip, and badly wounded it. In the winter of 1865, Irish ichthyologist Harry Blake-Knox watched as in Dublin Bay a common sea fox lashed its tail at a wounded loon (possibly a black-billed loon), which it then swallowed. The veracity of the Blake-Knox report was subsequently questioned on the grounds that the tail of the fox shark was not stiff or muscular enough to deliver such a blow.

Life cycle

Fox sharks reproduce by ovoviviparity. Mating takes place in summer, usually in July and August, and labor takes place from March to June. Pregnancy lasts 9 months. Fertilization and development of embryos occurs in utero. After the yolk sac is emptied, the embryo begins to feed on unfertilized eggs (intrauterine oophagy). The teeth of the embryos are peg-shaped and not functional because they are covered with soft tissue. As they develop, they become more and more similar in shape to the teeth of adult sharks and "erupt" shortly before birth. In the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean, the number of litters ranges from 2 to 4 (rarely 6) newborns, and in the eastern part of the Atlantic - from 3 to 7.

The length of newborns is 114-160 cm and directly depends on the size of the mother. Young sharks add 50 cm per year, while adults grow only 10 cm. The age at which puberty is reached depends on the habitat. In the northeastern part of the Pacific Ocean, males mature at a length of 3.3 m, which corresponds to the age of 5 years, and females at a length of 2.6-4.5, which corresponds to an age of 7 years. Life expectancy is at least 15 years, and the maximum period is about 45-50 years.

Human interaction

Despite their large size, it is believed that ordinary sea foxes do not pose a danger. They are shy and instantly swim away when a person appears. Divers testify that they are difficult to approach. The International Shark Attack File records one provoked fox shark attack on a human and four attacks on boats, probably by hooked sharks. There is anecdotal evidence of an attack on a harpooner off the coast of New Zealand.
The famous fishing sportsman Frank Mandas in his book Sportsfishing for Sharks retold an old story. One ill-fated fisherman leaned over the side of the boat to look at a large fish that caught his hook. At the same moment, he was decapitated by a blow from the tail of a five-meter fox shark. The fisherman's body capsized into the boat, and his head fell into the water and it was not possible to find it. Most authors consider this story to be unreliable.

Common sea foxes are caught commercially in Japan, Spain, USA, Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico and Taiwan. They are harvested in longlines, pelagic and gill nets. Meat, especially fins, is highly prized. It is consumed fresh, dried, salted and smoked. The skin is made, vitamins are produced from the fat of the liver.

In the United States, commercial fishing for fox sharks using floating gillnets on the coast of South Carolina has been developing since 1977. The fishery was started by 10 vessels using coarse mesh nets. For 2 years, the fleet already consisted of 40 ships. The peak was in 1982, when 228 vessels caught 1,091 tonnes of fox sharks. After that, due to overfishing, their numbers sharply decreased, and at the end of the 80s, production dropped to 300 tons, large individuals ceased to be caught. In the United States, fox sharks are still caught, with 80% of the catch being taken in the Pacific Ocean, and 15% in the Atlantic. Most fox sharks are still caught with gillnets off the coasts of California and Oregon, although the more valuable swordfish is the main target. Xiphius gladius, and fox sharks come across as a by-catch. A small number of these sharks are harvested in the Pacific Ocean using harpoons, fine mesh drift nets and longlines. In the Atlantic, fox sharks are more often caught as a by-catch when catching swordfish and tuna.

Due to low fertility, representatives of the genus of fox sharks are very susceptible to overfishing. Between 1986 and 2000, according to the analysis of pelagic longline catch, in the Northwest Atlantic, the abundance of the common sea fox and big-eyed fox shark decreased by 80%.

Fox sharks are valued by anglers on a par with mako sharks. They are caught with a baitcasting reel. The bait is used as bait.

Since the 1990s, the United States has had a limitation on the hunting of fox sharks. It is prohibited by law to cut off fins from live sharks, throwing the carcass overboard. The Mediterranean Sea has a ban on the use of drift nets, but poachers illegally use such nets up to 1.6 km long when fishing for swordfish. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has awarded this species the Vulnerable status.

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Links

  • akyla.info/vidy_lis/4.html
  • View in the World Register of Marine Species ( World Register of Marine Species) (eng.)

Excerpt from the Common Seal Fox

But despite the fact that that evening Natasha, now agitated, now frightened, with stopping eyes, lay for a long time in her mother's bed. Now she told her how he praised her, then how he said that he would go abroad, that he asked where they would live this summer, then how he asked her about Boris.
- But this, such ... never happened to me! She said. - Only I'm scared with him, I'm always scared with him, what does this mean? So this is real, right? Mom, are you sleeping?
“No, my soul, I’m scared myself,” replied the mother. - Go.
“I won’t sleep anyway. What's nonsense to sleep? Mama, mama, this has never happened to me! She said with surprise and dismay at the feeling she was conscious of in herself. - And could we think! ...
It seemed to Natasha that even when she first saw Prince Andrey in Otradnoye, she had fallen in love with him. She seemed to be frightened by this strange, unexpected happiness that the one whom she had chosen back then (she was firmly convinced of this), that the same one now met her again, and, it seems, was not indifferent to her. “And he had to come to Petersburg on purpose now that we are here. And we had to meet at this ball. All this is fate. It is clear that this is fate, that all this was led to this. Even then, as soon as I saw him, I felt something special. "
- What else did he tell you? What verses are these? Read it ... - Mother said thoughtfully, asking about the poems that Prince Andrey wrote to Natasha's album.
- Mom, is it not a shame that he is a widower?
- Enough, Natasha. Pray to God. Les Marieiages se font dans les cieux. [Marriages are made in heaven.]
- My dear, mother, how I love you, how I feel good! - Natasha shouted, crying with tears of happiness and excitement and hugging her mother.
At the same time, Prince Andrew was sitting with Pierre and told him about his love for Natasha and about his firm intention to marry her.

On this day, Countess Elena Vasilievna had a reception, there was a French envoy, there was a prince, who has recently become a frequent visitor to the countess's house, and many brilliant ladies and men. Pierre was downstairs, walked through the halls, and amazed all the guests with his concentratedly absent-minded and gloomy look.
From the time of the ball, Pierre felt within himself the approach of seizures of hypochondria and with a desperate effort tried to fight against them. From the time of the prince's rapprochement with his wife, Pierre was unexpectedly granted a chamberlain, and from that time he began to feel heaviness and shame in a large society, and more often the old gloomy thoughts about the futility of everything human began to come to him. At the same time, the feeling he noticed between Natasha, patronized by him and Prince Andrey, his opposition between his position and the position of his friend, further strengthened this gloomy mood. He equally tried to avoid thinking about his wife and about Natasha and Prince Andrew. Again, everything seemed to him insignificant in comparison with eternity, again the question was presented to him: "why?" And he forced himself to work day and night on Masonic works, hoping to ward off the approach of an evil spirit. Pierre at 12 o'clock, leaving the countess's chambers, was sitting upstairs in a smoky, low room, in a well-worn dressing gown in front of the table and was rewriting authentic Scottish acts when someone entered his room. It was Prince Andrew.
“Oh, it's you,” said Pierre with an absent-minded and displeased look. “But I’m working,” he said, pointing to a notebook with that kind of salvation from the hardships of life with which unhappy people look at their work.
Prince Andrew, with a radiant, enthusiastic and renewed face to life, stopped in front of Pierre and, not noticing his sad face, smiled at him with egoism of happiness.
“Well, my dear,” he said, “I wanted to tell you yesterday, and today I came to you for this. Never experienced anything like it. I'm in love, my friend.
Pierre suddenly sighed heavily and collapsed with his heavy body on the sofa, beside Prince Andrey.
- To Natasha Rostov, right? - he said.
- Yes, yes, to whom? I would never have believed it, but this feeling is stronger than me. Yesterday I suffered, suffered, but I will not give up this torture for anything in the world. I have not lived before. Now only I live, but I cannot live without her. But can she love me? ... I am old for her ... What are you not saying? ...
- I AM? I AM? What did I tell you? ”Pierre said suddenly, getting up and starting to walk around the room. - I always thought that ... This girl is such a treasure, such ... This is a rare girl ... Dear friend, I ask you, you don’t be smart, don’t hesitate, marry, marry and marry ... And I am sure that there will be no happier person than you.
- But she!
- She loves you.
"Don't talk nonsense ..." said Prince Andrew, smiling and looking into Pierre's eyes.
“He loves, I know,” Pierre shouted angrily.
“No, listen,” said Prince Andrey, stopping him by the hand. - Do you know in what position I am? I need to tell everything to someone.
- Well, well, say, I'm very glad, - Pierre said, and his face really changed, the wrinkle smoothed out, and he happily listened to Prince Andrey. Prince Andrew seemed and was a completely different, new person. Where was his longing, his contempt for life, his disappointment? Pierre was the only person to whom he dared to speak; but on the other hand he told him everything that was in his soul. Either he easily and boldly made plans for a long future, talked about how he could not sacrifice his happiness for the whim of his father, how he would force his father to agree to this marriage and love her or do without his consent, then he wondered how something strange, alien, independent of him, to the feeling that possessed him.
- I would not believe someone who would tell me that I can love so much, - said Prince Andrey. - This is not at all the feeling that I had before. The whole world is divided for me into two halves: one - she and there is all the happiness of hope, light; the other half - everything, where it is not, there is all despondency and darkness ...
“Darkness and gloom,” repeated Pierre, “yes, yes, I understand that.
- I cannot but love the light, I am not to blame for this. And I am very happy. You understand me? I know that you are happy for me.
“Yes, yes,” Pierre confirmed, looking at his friend with tender and sad eyes. The brighter the fate of Prince Andrei seemed to him, the darker his own seemed.

For marriage, the consent of the father was needed, and for this the next day, Prince Andrei went to his father.
The father, with outward calmness, but inner malice, accepted the message of his son. He could not understand that someone wanted to change life, to bring something new into it, when life was already over for him. - “They would only let me live the way I want, and then they would do what they wanted,” the old man said to himself. With his son, however, he used the same diplomacy that he used on important occasions. Taking a calm tone, he discussed the whole matter.
First, the marriage was not brilliant in terms of kinship, wealth and nobility. Secondly, Prince Andrey was not his first youth and was in poor health (the old man was especially heavy on this), but she was very young. Thirdly, there was a son, whom it was a pity to give to the girl. Fourthly, finally, - said the father, mockingly looking at his son, - I ask you to postpone the matter for a year, go abroad, take medical treatment, find, as you want, a German, for Prince Nicholas, and then, if love, passion, stubbornness, whatever you want, so great, then get married.
“And this is my last word, you know, the last…” the prince finished in a tone that showed that nothing would force him to change his mind.
Prince Andrew clearly saw that the old man hoped that the feeling of his or his future bride would not stand the test of the year, or that he himself, the old prince, would die by that time, and decided to fulfill his father's will: to propose and postpone the wedding for a year.
Three weeks after his last evening with the Rostovs, Prince Andrei returned to Petersburg.

The day after her explanation with her mother, Natasha waited the whole day for Bolkonsky, but he did not come. The next day, the third day, it was the same. Pierre also did not come, and Natasha, not knowing that Prince Andrew had gone to his father, could not explain to herself his absence.
Three weeks passed in this way. Natasha did not want to go anywhere, and like a shadow, idle and despondent, she walked about the rooms, secretly cried from everyone in the evening and did not appear in the evenings to her mother. She blushed and irritated incessantly. It seemed to her that everyone knows about her disappointment, laughs and regrets about her. For all the strength of her inner grief, this vain grief intensified her unhappiness.
One day she came to the countess, wanted to tell her something, and suddenly began to cry. Her tears were the tears of an offended child, who himself does not know why he was punished.
The Countess began to calm Natasha. Natasha, listening at first to the words of her mother, suddenly interrupted her:
- Stop it, mom, I don’t think, and I don’t want to think! So, I traveled and stopped, and stopped ...
Her voice trembled, she almost burst into tears, but recovered and calmly continued: - And I don't want to get married at all. And I'm afraid of him; Now I have completely, completely, calmed down ...
The day after this conversation, Natasha put on that old dress, which was especially known to her for the gaiety it brought them in the morning, and in the morning she began her old way of life, from which she fell behind after the ball. After drinking tea, she went to the hall, which she especially loved for its strong resonance, and began to sing her solfeji (singing exercises). After finishing the first lesson, she stopped in the middle of the room and repeated one musical phrase that she especially liked. She listened joyfully to that (as if unexpected for her) charm with which these sounds overflowing filled the entire emptiness of the room and slowly froze, and she suddenly felt cheerful. “That it’s so good to think about it,” she said to herself, and began to walk up and down the hall, stepping not with simple steps on the sonorous parquet floor, but at every step stepping from the heel (she was wearing her new favorite shoes) onto her toe. and just as joyfully as to the sounds of your own voice, listening to this measured stomp of a heel and the creak of a sock. Passing the mirror, she looked into it. - "Here I am!" as if the expression on her face spoke at the sight of herself. “Well, that's good. And I don't need anyone. "
The footman wanted to go in to clean up something in the hall, but she did not let him in, again shutting the door behind him, and continued her walk. She returned this morning again to her beloved state of self-love and admiration for herself. - "What a lovely Natasha!" she said to herself again in the words of some third, collective, male face. “She’s good, her voice, young, and she doesn’t bother anyone, just leave her alone.” But no matter how much they left her alone, she could no longer be at peace and immediately felt it.
In the hallway, an entrance door opened, someone asked: is he at home? and someone's footsteps were heard. Natasha looked in the mirror, but she did not see herself. She listened to sounds in the hallway. When she saw herself, her face was pale. It was he. She knew it for sure, although she barely heard the sound of his voice from the closed doors.
Natasha, pale and frightened, ran into the drawing room.
- Mom, Bolkonsky has arrived! - she said. - Mom, this is awful, this is unbearable! “I don’t want ... to suffer! What should I do?…
Before the countess had time to answer her, Prince Andrey entered the drawing-room with an anxious and serious face. As soon as he saw Natasha, his face lit up. He kissed the hand of the countess and Natasha and sat down by the sofa.
“It has been a long time since we had pleasure ...” the countess began, but Prince Andrey interrupted her, answering her question and obviously in a hurry to say what he needed.
- I have not been with you all this time, because I was with my father: I had to talk with him about a very important matter. I just returned last night, ”he said, glancing at Natasha. “I need to speak with you, Countess,” he added after a moment's silence.
The Countess sighed heavily and lowered her eyes.
“I'm at your service,” she said.
Natasha knew that she had to leave, but she could not do this: something was squeezing her throat, and she was discourteously, straight, with open eyes looking at Prince Andrey.
"Now? This minute! ... No, it can't be! " she thought.
He looked at her again, and this look convinced her that she was not mistaken. - Yes, now, this very minute, her fate was being decided.
“Come, Natasha, I’ll call you,” the countess said in a whisper.
Natasha looked with frightened, imploring eyes at Prince Andrey and at her mother, and left.
“I have come, Countess, to ask your daughter's hand in marriage,” said Prince Andrey. The countess's face flushed, but she said nothing.
“Your proposal…” the Countess began gravely. - He was silent, looking into her eyes. - Your proposal ... (she was embarrassed) is pleased with us, and ... I accept your proposal, I am glad. And my husband ... I hope ... but it will depend on her ...
- I will tell her when I have your consent ... do you give it to me? - said Prince Andrey.
“Yes,” said the Countess, and held out her hand to him and, with a mixed feeling of aloofness and tenderness, pressed her lips to his forehead as he bent over her hand. She wanted to love him like a son; but she felt that he was a stranger and a terrible person for her. “I'm sure my husband will agree,” said the countess, “but your father ...
- My father, to whom I communicated my plans, made it an indispensable condition of consent that the wedding was not earlier than a year. And this is what I wanted to tell you, - said Prince Andrey.
- It is true that Natasha is still young, but for so long.
“It could not be otherwise,” said Prince Andrey with a sigh.
“I'll send it to you,” said the Countess and left the room.
“Lord, have mercy on us,” she repeated, looking for her daughter. Sonya said that Natasha was in the bedroom. Natasha was sitting on her bed, pale, with dry eyes, looking at the images and, crossing herself quickly, whispering something. Seeing her mother, she jumped up and rushed to her.
- What? Mom? ... What?
- Go, go to him. He asks for your hand, - said the countess coldly, as it seemed to Natasha ... - Go ... go, - said the mother with sadness and reproach after her fleeing daughter, and sighed heavily.
Natasha did not remember how she entered the living room. Entering the door and seeing him, she stopped. "Has this stranger now become everything for me?" she asked herself and instantly answered: "Yes, everything: he alone is now dearer to me than everything in the world." Prince Andrew went up to her, lowering his eyes.
“I fell in love with you from the minute I saw you. Can i hope?
He looked at her, and the serious passion of her expression startled him. Her face said: “Why ask? Why doubt that which cannot be ignored? Why speak when words cannot express what you feel. "
She approached him and stopped. He took her hand and kissed it.
- Do you love me?
“Yes, yes,” Natasha said as if with annoyance, sighed loudly, another time, more often and more often, and sobbed.
- About what? What's wrong with you?
“Oh, I'm so happy,” she answered, smiled through her tears, bent down closer to him, thought for a second, as if asking herself if this was possible, and kissed him.
Prince Andrew held her hands, looked into her eyes, and did not find in his soul the former love for her. Something suddenly turned in his soul: there was not the former poetic and mysterious charm of desire, but there was pity for her female and childish weakness, there was fear of her devotion and gullibility, a heavy and at the same time joyful consciousness of duty that forever linked him to her. The real feeling, although it was not as light and poetic as the previous one, was more serious and stronger.
- Did maman tell you that it can't be earlier than a year? - said Prince Andrey, continuing to look into her eyes. “Is it really me, that little girl child (everyone said so about me) Natasha thought? Can it be that from this moment I am a wife, equal to this strange, sweet, intelligent person, respected even by my father. Is that really true! Is it really true that now it’s no longer possible to joke with life, now I’m big, now it’s my responsibility for every deed and word of mine? Yes, what did he ask me? "
“No,” she replied, but she did not understand what he was asking.
“Forgive me,” said Prince Andrew, “but you are so young, and I have already experienced so much life. I'm scared for you. You don't know yourself.
Natasha listened with concentrated attention, trying to understand the meaning of his words and did not understand.
“No matter how difficult this year will be for me, delaying my happiness,” Prince Andrey continued, “you will believe yourself in this period. I ask you to make my happiness in a year; but you are free: our engagement will remain a secret, and if you were convinced that you did not love me, or would love ... - said Prince Andrey with an unnatural smile.
- Why do you say that? Natasha interrupted him. “You know that from the day you first came to Otradnoye, I fell in love with you,” she said, firmly convinced that she was telling the truth.
- In a year you will recognize yourself ...
- A whole year! - Natasha suddenly said, now only realizing that the wedding was postponed for a year. - Why a year? Why a year? ... - Prince Andrey began to explain to her the reasons for this delay. Natasha did not listen to him.
“Can’t it be otherwise?” She asked. Prince Andrew did not answer, but his face expressed the impossibility of changing this decision.
- It's horrible! No, it's awful, awful! Natasha suddenly began to speak, and again sobbed. - I will die, waiting for a year: it is impossible, it is terrible. She looked into the face of her fiancé and saw an expression of compassion and bewilderment on him.
“No, no, I’ll do everything,” she said, suddenly stopping her tears, “I’m so happy! - Father and mother entered the room and blessed the bride and groom.
From that day on, Prince Andrei began to go to the Rostovs as his fiancé.

There was no engagement and no one was announced about Bolkonsky's engagement to Natasha; Prince Andrew insisted on this. He said that since he is the cause of the delay, he must bear the whole burden of it. He said that he had bound himself forever with his word, but that he did not want to bind Natasha and gave her complete freedom. If in six months she feels that she does not love him, she will be in her right, if she refuses him. It goes without saying that neither the parents nor Natasha wanted to hear about this; but Prince Andrew insisted on his own. Prince Andrey visited the Rostovs every day, but not as the groom treated Natasha: he told her you and kissed only her hand. After the day of the proposal, between Prince Andrey and Natasha, a completely different, close, simple relationship was established than before. They didn't seem to know each other until now. Both he and she loved to remember how they looked at each other when they were still nothing, now they both felt like completely different creatures: then feigned, now simple and sincere. At first, the family felt awkward in dealing with Prince Andrey; he seemed like a man from an alien world, and Natasha taught her family to Prince Andrey for a long time and proudly assured everyone that he only seemed so special, and that he was the same as everyone else, and that she was not afraid of him and that no one should be afraid his. After several days, the family got used to him and did not hesitate to lead with him the old way of life, in which he took part. He knew how to talk about the household with the count, and about outfits with the countess and Natasha, and about albums and canvas with Sonya. Sometimes the Rostovs at home, among themselves and under Prince Andrei, were amazed at how all this happened and how obvious the omens of this were: the arrival of Prince Andrei to Otradnoye, and their arrival in Petersburg, and the similarity between Natasha and Prince Andrei, which the nanny noticed on her first visit Prince Andrew, and the clash in 1805 between Andrew and Nicholas, and many other omens of what happened, were noticed by the family.
That poetic boredom and silence reigned in the house, which always accompanies the presence of the bride and groom. Often sitting together, everyone was silent. Sometimes they got up and left, and the groom and the bride, being alone, were still silent. Rarely did they talk about their future life. Prince Andrew was scared and ashamed to talk about it. Natasha shared this feeling, like all his feelings, which she constantly guessed. Once Natasha began to ask about his son. Prince Andrey blushed, which happened to him often now and which Natasha especially loved, and said that his son would not live with them.
- From what? - Natasha said frightened.
- I cannot take it away from my grandfather and then ...
- How I would love him! Said Natasha, immediately guessing his thought; but I know you want there to be no excuses to accuse you and me.
The old count sometimes approached Prince Andrey, kissed him, asked him for advice on the education of Petya or the service of Nicholas. The old countess sighed as she looked at them. Sonya was afraid to be superfluous at any moment and tried to find excuses to leave them alone when they didn't need it. When Prince Andrey spoke (he spoke very well), Natasha listened to him with pride; when she spoke, she noticed with fear and joy that he was looking at her attentively and probingly. She asked herself in bewilderment: “What is he looking for in me? What he achieves with his gaze! What if not in me what he is looking for with this look? " Sometimes she entered into her characteristic insanely cheerful mood, and then she especially loved to listen and watch how Prince Andrew laughed. He rarely laughed, but when he laughed, he gave himself up to his laughter, and every time after this laugh she felt closer to him. Natasha would have been perfectly happy if the thought of the impending and approaching separation did not frighten her, since he too grew pale and cold at the very thought of that.
On the eve of his departure from St. Petersburg, Prince Andrei brought with him Pierre, who had never been with the Rostovs since the ball. Pierre seemed confused and embarrassed. He talked to his mother. Natasha sat down with Sonya at the chess table, inviting Prince Andrey to her. He walked over to them.
“You’ve known Bezukhoi for a long time, don’t you?” - he asked. - Do you love him?
- Yes, he's nice, but very funny.
And she, as always talking about Pierre, began to tell anecdotes about his absent-mindedness, anecdotes that even invented against him.
“You know, I believed him our secret,” said Prince Andrey. - I have known him since childhood. This is a heart of gold. I beg you, Natalie, ”he said suddenly seriously; - I'll leave, God knows what might happen. You can split ... Well, I know I shouldn't talk about it. One thing - whatever happens to you when I am gone ...
- What will happen? ...
“Whatever grief it may be,” continued Prince Andrew, “I ask you, m lle Sophie, no matter what happens, turn to him alone for advice and help. This is the most absent-minded and funny person, but the most golden heart.
Neither father and mother, nor Sonya, nor Prince Andrew himself could have foreseen how the parting with her fiancé would affect Natasha. Red and agitated, with dry eyes, she walked that day around the house, doing the most insignificant things, as if not understanding what awaited her. She did not cry even the minute he, saying goodbye, kissed her hand for the last time. - Don't leave! - only she said to him in such a voice that made him think about whether he really needed to stay and which he remembered for a long time after that. When he left, she did not cry either; but for several days she sat in her room without crying, was not interested in anything and only said sometimes: “Oh, why did he leave!
But two weeks after his departure, she, just as unexpectedly for those around her, woke up from her moral illness, became the same as before, but only with a changed moral physiognomy, like children with a different face get out of bed after a long illness.

The health and character of Prince Nikolai Andreich Bolkonsky, in this last year after the departure of his son, have become very weak. He became even more irritable than before, and all the outbursts of his causeless anger for the most part fell on Princess Marya. He seemed to be diligently seeking all her sore spots in order to morally torture her as cruelly as possible. Princess Marya had two passions and therefore two joys: her nephew Nikolushka and religion, both of which were favorite themes of the prince's attacks and ridicule. No matter what they talked about, he reduced the conversation to the superstitions of old girls or to pampering and spoiling children. - “You want to make him (Nikolenka) the same old girl as yourself; in vain: Prince Andrey needs a son, not a girl, ”he said. Or, turning to Mademoiselle Bourime, he asked her in front of Princess Marya how she liked our priests and images, and joked ...

This species is also known as the red fox, fox shark and sea fox. The habitat extends to tropical and temperate waters. In the Atlantic Ocean, these cartilaginous fish live from Newfoundland to Argentina and from the North Sea to the southern tip of Africa. Found in the Mediterranean. In the Indian Ocean, they are common in its northern part. And in the Pacific Ocean, the fox shark has chosen a zone from Japan to New Zealand and from British Columbia to Chile.

This species is prone to seasonal migrations. It moves to northern latitudes along with warm masses of water. Moreover, the range of movement of males is more extensive than that of females. It is assumed that the populations of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans have different life cycles. This is indirectly indicated by the absence of ocean-to-ocean migrations. Representatives of the species are deep-sea and live at depths of up to 550 meters. Only young sharks are sometimes found near the shore.

Description

The body is streamlined, torpedo-shaped with a short, wide head. The eyes are medium in size, there are no urinary membranes on them. The mouth is small, its shape is curved. On the upper jaw there are 35-52 rows of teeth, on the lower such rows 26-49. The teeth are small, triangular in shape, there are no barbs on them. There are 5 pairs of gill slits.

The main feature of the fox shark is the tail fin. Its upper part is very long and corresponds to the length of the body. With the help of this powerful blade, the predatory fish stuns the prey. The pectoral fins are sickle-shaped. The dorsal fin is relatively high and is located approximately in the middle of the back. There is a tiny second dorsal fin. The pelvic fins are large enough. The skin is covered with protective placoid scales.

The upper body color ranges from purplish brown to gray. The sides are bluish, the belly is white. In length, together with the tail fin, the fox shark reaches 5 meters and weighs 230 kg. The officially registered maximum length is 5.7 meters. The estimated maximum length can be up to 6.5 meters. And the hardest was the caught female. With a body length of 4.8 meters, she weighed 510 kg.

Reproduction and life expectancy

This species belongs to ovoviviparous. Pregnancy lasts 9 months. There are from 2 to 7 newborns in the litter. They appear from March to June. They reach 12-16 cm in length, weigh 5-6 kg and add 50 cm in length each year. Adult fox sharks grow by 10 cm per year. Males reach sexual maturity with a body length of 3-3.2 meters. Females mature at a length of 2.5-4.5 meters. In the wild, the fox shark lives for 15-20 years. The maximum life span reaches 50 years.

Behavior and nutrition

The main diet consists of schooling fish such as mackerel, herring, garfish, anchovies, squid and invertebrates are also eaten. The fish are hunted singly or in groups. Sharks with their long tails drive the victims into a dense heap and swallow them. In addition, common fox sharks can jam their prey with their tails. In this way, they attack sea lions and seabirds. However, this happens when there are few fish. If there is a lot of it, then only it is eaten.

Conservation status

At the beginning of the XXI century, this species received the status of vulnerable. This was attributed to commercial overfishing. Representatives of the species value meat and fins. Vitamins are obtained from the liver, and the skin is dressed. Fox sharks are currently protected by law. The catch of these cartilaginous fish has decreased, but poachers still cause some damage to this species.

Even in the depths of the sea there are workers - honestly "earns" their bread, that is, fish, fox shark or sea fox (Alopias).

With its large dimensions, the fox shark has no particular desire to attack a person, since it feeds on schooling fish, but if it is completely hungry, then it starts up in pursuit of swimming invertebrates and even.

How does a fox shark hunt?

The fox shark is famous for its tail and the way it is used: after tracking down a school of mackerel, mackerel, herring and other prey, the shark begins to circle, gradually disorganizing the prey.

With each turn, the ring narrows, the fish huddles together, loses its orientation and the time comes to use the tail for its intended purpose: like a shark methodically jamming the fish with a flail on a thresher, after which you can safely proceed to dinner - the stunned prey will not go anywhere for some time.

Watch the video - Fox shark hunts:

Now the English name for the thresher shark is understandable - the thresher shark. One trouble, you need to eat a lot and at once - it is not known when luck will smile again.

Helps out praised in legends: the shark regurgitates what has already been chewed and eagerly pounces on a new portion.

Why was the shark called a fox?

For work, that is, for food, the fox shark uses its unsurpassed tail, which, on average, takes up half the body length of a sea turtle. Accordingly, if the length of the predator is 5-6 meters, then the length of the tail is 2.5-3 meters.

It is a truly formidable weapon, consisting of a highly elongated upper caudal blade (the lower lobe is almost atrophied) that starts from a highly flattened caudal peduncle. With all this, its weight can reach 500 kg.

Watch the video - Fox Shark Jump:

Description of the fox shark

Otherwise, the fox shark is a typical representative. The body is spindle-shaped, arched in the back. The head is small, wide and short.

The mouth is small; crescent-shaped mouth gap; , form rows, sometimes up to 20. The eyes, depending on the species, can be normal or very large. Five small branchial slits, and the splatters may be absent.

The color is different (do not forget that there are three species in the family): gray, sometimes with a metallic sheen; gray-blue, gray-black, gray-brown - the back is always darker than the belly. Under the head and fins, the color is the same as on the back.

The first dorsal fin is large, while the second dorsal and anal fins are small.

It lives almost everywhere: in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans, in almost all tropical and subtropical sea waters.

Sexual maturity occurs at a certain height, an average of 4 meters. Quite often they do not live alone, but in twos: it is believed that for joint hunting it is easier to find a school of fish and easier to jam, working in two tails.

Watch video - War Tail of the Fox Shark:

Fox shark, in one litter brings 2-4 sharks. During the breeding season, it moves closer to the coast, where it stays for several months, tracking how the water temperature affects the growing offspring.

Fortunately, the predator has no commercial value, does not like to settle down on the coast, has a formidable weapon and large size - all this greatly helps her not to get into the Red Book.

True, fishermen are not very fond of the sea fox breed - while hunting for schools of fish, sea foxes fall into the nets and tear them mercilessly. Therefore, fishermen are happy to let the caught shark into bait for other fish.

The largest is the red fox (Alopias vulpinus), its size is 5.5-6 meters, it can be found in coastal zones.

The smallest - the pelagic fox shark (Alopias pelagicus), measuring about 3 meters, lives at a depth farther from the coast. The color is beautiful dark blue with a whitish belly. Has smooth wide pectoral fins.

The second species has larger eyes than the common fox, but not the same as those of the big-eyed.

The most "beautiful" big-eyed fox shark (Alopias superciliosus) has unnaturally large bulging eyes.

And the possession of a magnificent fox tail unites all representatives of this family!