The Porbeagle Shark Of The Bay Of Fundy, Canada (Lamna Nasus)
- ThePersaudCatalog
- May 11
- 8 min read
This months article series will discuss the Bay Of Fundy, Canada! The Bay of Fundy is is a body of water separating New Brunswick from Nova Scotia, & rests along the Atlantic Ocean.
The Bay is best known for having the highest tidal range in the world, meaning the largest difference between the low & high tide. The tide in the bay of fundy is enormous, being at least 52 feet high, possibly higher.
The bay is theorized to be corrupted from the French word “fendu”, meaning split. The Bay of Fundy began forming 250 million years ago, & fully formed approximately 190 million years ago. It is currently filled with treacherous rapids, & beautiful rocky landscapes.
The bay has an area of roughly 6,178 square miles (16000.95 square kilometers). The bay can get 787.402 feet (240 meters) deep, & is teeming with marine life.
The Bay Of Fundy has many, many different ecosystems ranging from cold-water estuaries, to crashing rocky shorelines. Along with these, the bay is littered with sea caves that flood when the tide rises. In these caves, thousands of fossils from 300 million years ago lie. It is for this reason, that the Bay of Fundy is not only a UNESCO Global Geopark, but a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
One of the creatures found in this mysterious bay is the Porbeagle Shark. The Porbeagle Shark is a species of Mackerel Shark found in the Atlantic Ocean. They are closely related to the Salmon Shark, which takes on a similar ecological role in the Pacific Ocean. They can often be seen consuming Ray-Skinned Fish, & swimming peacefully around.
They are extremely quick & agile, which can be startling to sleepy fishermen. They are one of the few species of shark that are on record to attack humans, though it is not clear if this was to be offensive or defensive. Individuals are distributed from the cold depths of 4,460 feet (1,359.408 meters), & to the rocky shoreline.
In this article, we will be discussing the Discovery & Life of the Porbeagle Shark, the Mating Tactics, Procedures, Cycles, Strategies, & Techniques of the Porbeagle Shark, the Distribution of the Porbeagle Shark, & the Scientific Detailings of the Porbeagle Shark. With that being said, let us delve into this strange species of chondrichthyan.
The Discovery & Life Of The Porbeagle Shark
The Porbeagle Shark was discovered in 1788 by Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre, a French Zoologist who discovered approximately 25 species.
Individuals usually grow to be an absolute maximum of 11.97507 feet (3.65 meters) long & a maximum weight of 507.063 pounds (230 kilograms).
Their life span has an upper limit of 45 years, though it is rare to see a Porbeagle live past 32 years. Their average life span is currently estimated at 30 years.
These sharks are known to be incredibly playful, & can recognize people. They can often be seen pushing small objects around the water, & chasing one another for fun, much like kittens & puppies.
This species of shark has existed for at least 45 million years, & possibly more. This species is actively being observed & monitored by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as its population is slowly decreasing due to fishing. Porbeagles are one of the few oceanic species that will actively go & interact with humans. They will often go & swim up to boats to investigate them, as they are rather curious creatures. There is evidence to say that they are aggressive to humans unprovoked, however, attacks have only occurred twice & both were non-fatal. Unfortunately, due to them approaching boats, they are known to be a bycatch of fishing nets. As of 2025, they are not known to be territorial, as they are almost constantly migrating. Porbeagles live either alone or in small groups, & are accompanied by their mother for the first few months of their lives.
Porbeagle sharks swim by flexing their tails back & forth to propel themselves forward, & can swim at a maximum of 20 miles per hour. They remain buoyant by using their liver, which is filled with oils, which are less dense than seawater. This liver also allows them to be very agile, & maneuver through the water column much more easily.
Instead of having a cycle of complete sleep & complete lucidity like humans, they have cycles of resting part of their brain, but remaining awake to watch for predators.
Their primary predators are larger sharks such as Great whites, & of course, Killer Whales. These predators usually feast on juveniles, though, as full-grown porbeagles are simply too large. Their diet consists of lancetfish, herring, sardines, pilchards, sauries, mackerel, cod, haddock, squid, & generally different types of bony fish. Currently, they are thought to be diurnal hunters. They are not Cannibalistic in any way, shape, or form. Juvenile Porbeagles primarily eat soft-bodied animals, such as squid. As they age, they shift towards fish. It is unclear how much they consume per day or how much they swim per day. Their metabolism is very average compared to sharks of a similar size.
Individuals locate food by feeling for ripples in the water, visually, & feeling the electric pulses created by other animals.
Physically, they have large gill slits, rough skin, long conical snouts, & large eyes. They tend to be grey, with white underbellies, & white patches on their fins.
As of 2025, they are categorized as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with a decreasing population trend. The last assessment was made on November 6th, 2018. Their population size is unknown as of 2025.
The Mating Tactics, Procedures, Cycles, Strategies, & Techniques Of The Porbeagle Shark
The Porbeagle Shark breeds via sexual reproduction. They are not hermaphroditic, & have 2 distinct sexes. Their breeding system is polygynous, meaning that the males have multiple partners, but the females don’t.
Breeding occurs from early September to late November. They only breed once per year, due to having to migrate thousands of miles to their mating grounds. The majority of the porbeagles in the Atlantic mate off the coast of Maine or the coast of Newfoundland.
Usually, the females will reach sexual maturity at the age of 13, & the males will reach sexual maturity at 8 years. Their gestational period is between 8 to 9 months.
The males will signal to the females that they are ready to breed by biting on their pectoral fins. After the females & the males engage in sexual contact, the males will have no part in the pups' lives. Before fertilization, a single ovum is 6 to 7 millimeters. The females are ovoviviparous, which means that they will keep eggs in her until they hatch, when they will lay them. They nourish their young in the womb by using nutrient-rich egg yolks.
Usually, they will have between 1 & 5 little pups per litter. These pups will usually be born between April & June. The pups are 0.6 meters (1.9685 feet), & 11.0231 pounds (5 kilograms). The mothers will take care of these babies, & defend them with their lives.
The Distribution Of The Porbeagle Shark
The Porbeagle shark is found all over the Atlantic Ocean, specifically in the coldest areas. They tend to prefer cold water, which they can withstand because of their warm-blooded nature.
They are also found in the Southern Indian Ocean, & Southern Pacific, & the Southern Ocean. These sharks will migrate thousands of miles to reach one of the two major mating grounds by September, to have the best chance of breeding.
They are found at depths of up to 5935.039 feet deep (1,809 meters). Unfortunately, their population is slowly depleting in their northern range.
In the Mediterranean, they are currently considered Critically Endangered. Thankfully, though, fishermen no longer purposely attempt to fish for them, which puts much less pressure on the population.
The Scientific Details of The Porbeagle Shark
By far, the most spectacular thing about the Porbeagle Shark is their ability to sense electrical activity in the water surrounding them. Porbeagle sharks possess Ampullae of Lorenzini, which are a series of electrical receptors that allow them to detect electrical fields & changes. This system is used to detect the electrical pulses created by the muscle contractions of their prey. This system is also hypothesized to help detect minor changes in pressure & temperature in the surrounding water.
North Atlantic Porbeagles have between 28 to 29 upper teeth, & 26 to 27 lower teeth, while Southern Hemisphere Porbeagles have 30 to 31 upper teeth, & 27 to 29 lower teeth.
Porbeagle sharks do not have true bones, & are instead composed of cartilaginous skeletons. The reason for this is that true bones would weigh them down, & cartilaginous bones help them to remain buoyant. Though they may not have true bones, they are still able to fossilize.
Their phylum is Chordata, meaning that they developed these 5 characteristics. All species under the phylum of Chordata develop 5 similar characteristics either in adulthood or as juveniles. The characteristics that they develop include, a notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, endostyle or thyroid, pharyngeal Slits, & a post-anal tail.
Their class is Chondrichthyes. This is a class of fish that is primarily composed of cartilage. This class can be compared to the class Osteichthyes, which is a class of fish that is primarily composed of bone. A few universal characteristics for any fish in the class Chondrichthyes are that they are all jawed vertebrates, they have paired fins, paired nares, scales, & a heart with chambers in a series.
Their order is that of Lamniformes. This is an order of sharks. A few universal characteristics for creatures classified within this order are that, they possess two dorsal fins, an anal fin, five gill slits, eyes without nictitating, & a mouth cavity that extends behind the eyes. Creatures from this order also usually maintain a higher body temperature than the water surrounding them. This order has the largest macropredatory shark to ever exist, the Otodus Megalodon.
Their Family is Lamnidae, which is a family of mackerel sharks. All Species categorized under have two dorsal fins, an anal fin, five gill slits, & a mouth extending behind the eyes.
Their genus is Lamna, which only contains 2 species. Their binomial name is Lamna Nasus.
Directories / Credits
Citation No. 1: “Lamna Nasus: Blue Dog”, Written By John Edmunds & Richard Meredith, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the Animal Diversity Web. Retrieval Date: October 25th, 2023.
Citation No. 2: “Porbeagle Shark: Lamna Nasus”, Written By Rebecca Bales, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by A-Z Animals. Retrieval Date: October 25th, 2023.
Citation No. 3: “Marine Life Encyclopedia Sharks & Rays: Porbeagle Shark”, Written By Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by Oceana. Retrieval Date: October 25th, 2023.
Citation No. 4: “Porbeagle”, Written By Unknown & Last Updated November 6th of 2018. Published by the International Union for the Conservation Of Nature. Retrieval Date: October 25th, 2023.
Citation No. 5: “The reproductive biology of the porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus) in the western North Atlantic Ocean”, Written by C.F. Jensen, Lisa J. Natanson, Harold Pratt, & N.E. Kohler, & Published in October 2002. Published by Research Gate. Retrieval Date: October 25th, 2023.
Citation No. 6: “Shark Of The Month - Porbeagle Shark” Written By Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by Dive Timor. Retrieval Date: October 25th, 2023.
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