Fox find me a group of sharks. common sea fox

The genus was first scientifically described by the British biologist Richard Thomas Lowe in 1841, based on a specimen caught off the coast of Madeira in the eastern Atlantic. However, Lowe's description was revised by further researchers, and until the 1940s the species was known by various names, until the capture of several individuals off the coast of Cuba and Venezuela prompted the restoration of the original scientific name.

Generic and specific names come from the Greek words. ἀλώπηξ - "fox" and lat. super- "above" and lat. ciliosus- "eyebrow", which is explained by the presence of obvious supraorbital depressions. These sharks were called fox because of the old belief that they are distinguished by cunning.

An allozyme analysis conducted in 1995 showed that the most closely related species of the bigeye thresher is the pelagic thresher, with which they form a single clade.

area

Bigeye fox sharks are common in the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region and the Atlantic Ocean. In the western part of the Atlantic Ocean they are found from New York to Florida, the Bahamas, off the coast of Cuba, Venezuela and southern Brazil. In the eastern Atlantic, they are found off the coast of Portugal, Madeira, Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Angola and in the Mediterranean Sea. In the western Indian Ocean, bigeye fox sharks are found off the coast of South Africa, Madagascar and in the Arabian Sea. In the Pacific, they inhabit the coastal waters of southern Japan, Taiwan, New Caledonia, northwestern Australia, New Zealand, east of Hawaii, southern California. In addition, they live in the Gulf of California and off the Galapagos Islands.

Bigeye thresher sharks are found both over the continental shelf and offshore. Sometimes they come close to the shore. Although they prefer temperatures between 16°C and 25°C, they are found at depths of up to 723 m, where the water temperature does not exceed 5°C. Little is known about the migrations made by bigeye sharks, but there is evidence of migrations made by two tagged sharks. In the first case, migration was carried out through the Gulf of Mexico for 60 days. The distance traveled by the shark in a straight line was 320 km. The depth at the starting point (the central part of the Gulf of Mexico) was more than 3000 m, and at the end point (150 km south of the Mississippi Delta) about 1000 m. The second shark was tagged off the coast of Kona Coast, Hawaii. The tag was taken off the coast of French Frigate Shoals. The distance traveled in a straight line was 1125 km.

Description

The long, wide and pectoral fins taper to rounded tips, the caudal margin is slightly concave. The first dorsal fin is moved back compared to other thresher sharks and is located closer to the base. pelvic fins. The pelvic fins are about the same size as the first dorsal fin, and the males have thin, long pterygopodia. The second dorsal and anal fins are tiny. There are dorsal and ventral notches in the shape of a crescent in front of the caudal fin. There is a small ventral notch at the edge of the upper lobe. The lower lobe is short but well developed.

Intense purple or brown-purple color with a metallic sheen. After death, the color fades quickly and becomes a dull gray. The belly is creamy white. The white coloration does not extend to the base of the pectoral and ventral fins, which distinguishes pelagic thresher sharks from similar thresher sharks, which have a spot at the base of the pectoral fins.

Big-eyed fox sharks reach an average length of 3.3-4 m and a mass of 160 kg. The maximum recorded length and weight (4.9 m and 364 kg) was a specimen caught near Tutukaka, New Zealand, in February 1981.

Biology

The size and position of the eyes of the bigeye sharks are adapted to detect the silhouettes of prey in low light conditions. Bigeye fox sharks belong to a small group of sharks that perform diurnal vertical migrations. During the day they spend at a depth of 300-500 m, below the thermocline, where the temperature ranges from 6 ° C to 12 ° C, and at night they rise to a depth of 100 m or less. These migrations are due to the fact that sharks hunt at night and hide at depth from predators during the day. During the day, sharks swim measuredly, while at night they make quick ascents and dives.

The existence of a muscle structure in bigeye sharks that allows them to retain the metabolic thermal energy of the body remains in question. In a 1971 study, swimming muscles were sampled from two bigeye sharks using a thermistor needle. Muscle tissue temperature was 1.8 °C and 4.3 °C higher than environment. However, an anatomical study conducted in 2005 found that while bigeye sharks have aerobic red muscle responsible for heat production in threshers, it is distributed along the sides and is located directly under the skin, and not deep in the body. In addition, there is no system of countercurrent blood vessels on the sides ( rete mirabile), allowing to reduce the loss of metabolic energy. Based on these two differences, the authors discussed previous data and concluded that it is likely that bigeye sharks are unable to maintain elevated body temperature. But they have an orbital rete mirabile which protects the eyes and brain from temperature fluctuations. During daily vertical migrations, fluctuations in the temperature of the surrounding water can reach 15-16 °C.

Food

Bigeye fox sharks have larger teeth than other members of the genus. They prey on small schooling fish such as mackerel and herring, bottom fish such as hake, pelagic fish such as sawtooth and small marlin, Lycoteuthidae and Ommastrephidae squid, and possibly crabs. Like other fox sharks, before attacking, they circle around the school and compact it with tail strokes. Due to this hunting tactic, they are sometimes caught with their tails on longline hooks or entangled in nets. The shape of the eye sockets provides bigeye sharks with binocular vision in the upper direction, which allows them to better see the target. In the Mediterranean, they follow schools of mackerel tunas. Auxis rochei, probably following the largest accumulation of prey.

Life cycle

Reproduction in bigeye fox sharks is not seasonal. They reproduce by ovoviviparity. In litter 2, very rarely 3 or 4 newborns 1.35-1.4 m long. The exact duration of pregnancy is unknown. Fertilization and development of embryos occurs in utero. The embryo initially feeds on the yolk. After emptying the yolk sac, he begins to eat the egg capsules produced by the mother (intrauterine oophagia). The cannibalism characteristic of common sand sharks is not observed in pelagic thresher sharks. Outwardly, newborns are similar to adult sharks, but their head and eyes are proportionately larger. The inner walls of the oviduct are covered with a thin layer of epithelium from damage by sharp placoid scales of the embryo. This feature is not observed in other members of the fox shark genus.

Males mature at a length of 2.7-2.9 m, which corresponds to the age of 9-10 years, and females at a length of 3.3-3.6 m, which corresponds to the age of 12-14 years. The maximum recorded lifespan for males and females is 19 and 20 years, respectively. Presumably females produce only 20 sharks in their lifetime.

Human interaction

Despite its large size, the species is considered safe for humans. Divers rarely encounter bigeye sharks. The International Shark Attack File has not recorded a single attack by a bigeye shark on humans.

These sharks are of interest to sport anglers in the US, South Africa and New Zealand. They are commercially fished in the United States, Japan, Spain, Brazil, Uruguay, and Mexico and account for up to 10% of the total pelagic shark catch. Off the coast of Cuba, where they are caught by luring at night with the help, bigeye fox sharks make up to 20% of the prey with the help of longlines. In addition, they are important for industrial fisheries in Taiwan, where the annual catch is 220 tons. . The meat is marketed fresh, smoked and salted and dried, although it is not highly valued due to its soft, mushy texture. The skin is cured to make hides, vitamins are made from liver fat, and soup is made from the fins.

In US waters, they are caught as bycatch in longlines, trawls, and gillnets. In addition, sometimes they get caught in shark nets placed around the beaches off the coast of South Africa. Due to their low fecundity, members of the thresher shark genus are highly susceptible to overfishing. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has given this bigeye shark a Vulnerable status.

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Notes

1. in the FishBase database (Retrieved August 27, 2016).
2. Lindbergh, G. W., Gerd, A. S., Russ, T. S. Dictionary of the names of marine commercial fish of the world fauna. - L. : Nauka, 1980. - S. 36. - 562 p.
3. Yu. S. Reshetnikov , A. N. Kotlyar , T. S. Russ , M. I. Shatunovsky Five-language dictionary of animal names. Fish. Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / under the general editorship of acad. V. E. Sokolova. - M .: Rus. yaz., 1989. - S. 22. - 12,500 copies. - ISBN 5-200-00237-0.
4. Gubanov E.P., Kondyurin V.V., Myagkov N.A. Sharks of the World Ocean: A guide. - M .: Agropromizdat, 1986. - S. 59. - 272 p.
5. Life of animals. Volume 4. Lancelets. Cyclostomes. Cartilaginous fish. Bony fish / ed. T. S. Rassa, ch. ed. V. E. Sokolov. - 2nd ed. - M .: Education, 1983. - S. 31. - 575 p.
6. Lowe, R.T.(1841). A paper from the Rev. R. T. Lowe, M. A., describing certain new species of Madeiran fishes, and containing additional information relating to those already described. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 8 : 36-39.
7. Ebert, D.A. Sharks, Rays, and Chimaeras of California. - California: University of California Press, 2003. - P. 103-104. - ISBN 0520234847.
8. Jensen, C.. Florida Museum of Natural History. Retrieved January 11, 2013. .
9. Eitner, B.J. Systematics of the Genus Alopias(Lamniformes: Alopiidae) with Evidence for the Existence of an Unrecognized Species // Copeia (American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists). - 1995. - No. 3. - P. 562-571. -DOI:.
10. Compagno, L.J.V. Sharks of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalog of Shark Species Known to Date (Volume 2). - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2002. - P. 83-85. - ISBN 92-5-104543-7.
11. Nakano, H., Matsunaga, H., Okamoto, H. and Okazaki, M. Acoustic tracking of bigeye thresher shark Alopias superciliosus in the eastern Pacific Ocean // Marine Ecology Progress Series. - 2003. - Vol. 265. - P. 255-261. -DOI:.
12. Weng, K. C. and Block, B. A.(English) // Fishery Bulletin. - 2004. - Vol. 102, no. one . - P. 221-229.
13. Martin, R.A.. ReefQuest Center for Shark Research. Retrieved January 12, 2013. .
14. Cressey, R.(1964). "A new genus of copepods (Caligoida, Pandaridae) from a thresher shark in Madagascar". Cahiers O.R.S.T.O.M. Oceanographie 2 (6): 285-297.
15. Olson, P. D. and Caira, J. N. Two new species of Litobothrium Dailey, 1969 (Cestoda: Litobothriidea) from thresher sharks in the Gulf of California, Mexico, with redescriptions of two species in the genus" // Systematic Parasitology. - 2001. - Vol. 48, no. 3 . - P. 159-177. -DOI:.
16. Carey, F. G., Teal, J. M., Kanwisher, J. W., Lawson, K. D. and Beckett, J. S.(February 1971). Warm-bodied fish. American Zoologist 11 (1): 135-143.
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18. Chen, C. T., Liu, W. M. and Chang, Y. C. Reproductive biology of the bigeye thresher shark, Alopias superciliosus(Lowe, 1839) (Chondrichthyes: Alopiidae), in the northwestern Pacific (English) // Ichthyological Research. - 1997. - Vol. 44, no. 2-3. - P. 227-235. -DOI:.
19. Gilmore, R.G. Observations on the Embryos of the Longfin Mako, Isurus paucus, and the Bigeye Thresher, Alopias superciliosus// Copeia (American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists). - 1983. - No. 2. - P. 375-382. -DOI:.
20. Amorim, A., Baum, J., Cailliet, G. M., Clò, S., Clarke, S. C., Fergusson, I., Gonzalez, M., Macias, D., Mancini, P., Mancusi, C., Myers, R., Reardon, M., Trejo, T., Vacchi, M. & Valenti, S.V. 2009. Alopias superciliosus. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. . Downloaded on 10 January 2013.

An excerpt characterizing the Bigeye fox shark

Tears shone in my eyes... And I was absolutely not ashamed of it. I would give a lot to meet one of them alive! .. Especially Magdalene. What a marvelous ancient magic burned in the soul of this amazing woman when she created her magical kingdom?! A kingdom in which Knowledge and Understanding ruled, and whose backbone was Love. Only not the love about which the “holy” church screamed, having worn out this wondrous word to the point that I didn’t want to hear it any longer, but that beautiful and pure, real and courageous, unique and amazing LOVE, with the name of which powers were born ... and with the name of which the ancient warriors rushed into battle... with the name of which a new life was born... with the name of which our world changed and became better... This Love was carried by Golden Mary. And it is this Mary that I would like to bow to... For everything that she carried, for her pure bright LIFE, for her courage and courage, and for Love.
But, unfortunately, it was impossible to do this... She lived centuries ago. And I couldn't be the one who knew her. An incredibly deep, bright sadness suddenly overwhelmed me, and bitter tears poured down in a stream...
- What are you, my friend!.. Other sorrows await you! Sever exclaimed in surprise. - Please, calm down...
He gently touched my hand and gradually the sadness disappeared. Only bitterness remained, as if I had lost something bright and dear ...
– You mustn't relax... War awaits you, Isidora.
– Tell me, Sever, was the teaching of the Cathars called the Teaching of Love because of Magdalene?
– Here you are not quite right, Isidora. The uninitiated called it the Teaching of Love. For those who understood, it carried a completely different meaning. Listen to the sound of words, Isidora: love sounds in French - amor (amour) - right? And now divide this word, separating the letter “a” from it ... It turns out a'mor (a "mort) - without death ... This is the true meaning of the teachings of Magdalene - the Teachings of the Immortals. As I told you before - everything it's simple, Isidora, if you only look and listen correctly... Well, for those who do not hear, let it remain the Teaching of Love... it is also beautiful.
I stood completely dumbfounded. The Teaching of the Immortals!.. Daaria... So that was the teaching of Radomir and Magdalena!.. The North surprised me many times, but never before had I felt so shocked!.. The Cathar teachings attracted me with their powerful, magical power, and I could not forgive myself for not talking about this with the North before.
- Tell me, Sever, is there anything left of the records of the Cathars? There must have been something left? Even if not the Perfect Ones themselves, then at least just students? I mean something about their real life and teachings?
– Unfortunately, no, Isidora. The Inquisition destroyed everything and everywhere. Her vassals, by order of the Pope, were even sent to other countries to destroy every manuscript, every remaining piece of birch bark that they could find ... We were looking for at least something, but we could not save anything.
Well, what about the people themselves? Could there be something left with people who would keep it through the centuries?
– I don’t know, Isidora... I think even if someone had some kind of record, it was changed over time. After all, it is human nature to reshape everything in its own way ... And especially without understanding. So it is unlikely that anything has been preserved as it was. It's a pity... True, we still have the diaries of Radomir and Magdalena, but that was before the creation of the Cathars. Though I don't think the doctrine has changed.
– Forgive me for my chaotic thoughts and questions, Sever. I see that I lost a lot by not coming to you. But still, I'm still alive. And while I breathe, I can still ask you, can't I? Can you tell me how Svetodar's life ended? Sorry for interrupting.
North smiled sincerely. He liked my impatience and my thirst to "find out in time". And he gladly continued.
After his return, Svetodar lived and taught in Occitania for only two years, Isidora. But these years became the most expensive and happiest years of his wandering life. His days, illuminated by the merry laughter of Beloyar, passed in his beloved Montsegur, surrounded by the Perfect Ones, to whom Svetodar honestly and sincerely tried to convey what the distant Wanderer had taught him for many years.
They gathered in the Temple of the Sun, which multiplied tenfold the Living Force they needed. And also protected them from unwanted "guests" when someone was going to secretly enter there, not wanting to appear openly.
The Temple of the Sun was called a tower specially built in Montsegur, which at certain times of the day let direct sunlight through the window, which made the Temple truly magical at that moment. And this tower also concentrated and strengthened energy, which for the Qatari working there at that moment eased the tension and did not require too much effort.

Soon, an unforeseen and rather funny incident occurred, after which the nearest Perfects (and then the rest of the Cathars) began to call Svetodar "fiery". And it began after Svetodar, having forgotten, completely revealed his high energy Essence to them during one of the usual classes ... As you know, all the Perfect Ones without exception were seers. And the appearance of the essence of Svetodar flaming with fire caused a real shock to the Perfect Ones... Thousands of questions poured down, many of which even Svetodar himself did not have answers. Probably only the Stranger could answer, but he was inaccessible and distant. Therefore, Svetodar was forced to somehow explain himself to his friends ... Whether he succeeded or not is unknown. Only from that very day did all the Cathars begin to call him the Fiery Teacher.
(The existence of the Fiery Teacher is indeed mentioned in some modern books about cathars, only, unfortunately, not about the one that was real ... Apparently, the North was right when he said that people, not understanding, remake everything in their own way .. As they say: “they heard the ringing, but they don’t know where it is”... For example, I found the memories of the “last cathar” Deod Roche, who says that a certain Steiner (?!) was the Fiery Teacher (?!)... Again, to the Pure and the Light One is forcibly “taken root” by the people of Israel .... which has never been among the real Qatar).
Two years have passed. Peace and tranquility reigned in the tired soul of Svetodar. Days ran after days, taking old sorrows farther and farther ... Little Beloyar seemed to grow by leaps and bounds, becoming smarter and smarter, surpassing all his older friends in this, which greatly pleased grandfather Svetodar. But on one of these happy, calm days, Svetodar suddenly felt a strange, nagging anxiety... His Gift told him that trouble was knocking on his peaceful door... Nothing seemed to change, nothing happened. But Svetodar's anxiety grew, poisoning pleasant moments of complete peace.
Once, Svetodar was walking around the neighborhood with little Beloyar (whose worldly name was Frank) not far from the cave in which almost his entire family died. The weather was wonderful - the day was sunny and warm - and Svetodar's legs themselves carried him to visit the sad cave ... Little Beloyar, as always, plucked near the growing wild flowers, and the grandfather and great-great-grandson came to bow to the place of the dead.
Probably, someone once put a curse on this cave for his family, otherwise it was impossible to understand how they, so extraordinarily gifted, for some reason, suddenly completely lost their sensitivity, just getting into this cave, and like blind kittens , headed straight for someone's trap.
Cheerfully chirping his favorite song, Beloyar suddenly fell silent, as it always happened, as soon as he entered the familiar cave. The boy did not understand what made him behave that way, but as soon as they went inside, all his cheerful mood evaporated somewhere, and only sadness remained in his heart ...
“Tell me, grandfather, why was it always killed here?” This place is very sad, I "hear" it... Let's get out of here grandfather! I don't like it very much... It always smells of trouble here.
The kid timidly twitched his shoulders, as if, indeed, sensing some kind of trouble. Svetodar smiled sadly and hugged the boy tightly, he was about to go outside, when four strangers suddenly appeared at the entrance to the cave.
“You were not invited here, uninvited. This is a family sadness, and outsiders are not allowed to enter here. Leave in peace, - Svetodar said quietly. He immediately bitterly regretted that he had taken Beloyar with him. The kid frightened huddled up to his grandfather, apparently feeling bad.
“Well, this is just the right place!” one of the strangers laughed insolently. You don't have to look for anything...
They began to surround the unarmed couple, obviously trying not to get close yet.
- Well, servant of the Devil, show us your strength! - the "holy wars" braved. - What, your horned master does not help?
The strangers deliberately angered themselves, trying not to succumb to fear, because apparently they had heard enough about the incredible power of the Fiery Teacher.
With his left hand, Svetodar easily pushed the baby behind his back, and extended his right hand to those who came, as if blocking the entrance to the cave.
“I warned you, the rest is up to you…” he said sternly. "Go away and nothing bad will happen to you."
The four chuckled defiantly. One of them, the tallest, pulled out a narrow knife, brazenly brandishing it, went to Svetodar ... And then Beloyar, squeaking in fright, wriggled out of his grandfather's hands holding him, and darting like a bullet towards the man with the knife, began to beat painfully on his knees caught on I run like a heavy stone. The stranger roared in pain and, like a fly, threw the boy away from him. But the trouble was that the "comers" were still standing at the very entrance to the cave... And the stranger threw Beloyar exactly in the direction of the entrance... Shouting thinly, the boy rolled over his head and flew into the abyss like a light ball.. It took only a few short seconds, and Svetodar did not have time ... Blinded from pain, he extended his hand to the man who had hit Beloyar - he, without making a sound, flew a couple of steps in the air and crashed his head against the wall, with a heavy bag slid down onto a stone floor. His "partners", seeing such a sad end to their leader, retreated in a bunch into the inside of the cave. And then, Svetodar made a single mistake... Wanting to see if Beloyar was alive, he moved too close to the cliff and turned away from the killers only for a moment. Immediately, one of them, jumping up from behind with lightning, struck him in the back with a sharp kick with his foot ... Svetodar's body flew into the abyss after little Beloyar ... It was all over. There was nothing else to look at. Vile "little men", pushing each other, quickly got out of the cave...
Some time later, a blond little head appeared above the cliff at the entrance. The child carefully climbed out to the edge of the ledge, and when he saw that there was no one inside, he sobbed sadly ... Apparently, all the wild fear and resentment, and maybe bruises, poured out in a waterfall of tears, washing away the experience ... He cried bitterly and for a long time, himself saying to himself, angry and sorry, as if grandfather could hear ... as if he could return to save him ...
- I told you - this cave is evil! .. I told ... I told you! - convulsively sobbing, the kid lamented - Well, why didn’t you listen to me! And what should I do now?.. Where should I go now?..
Tears flowed down dirty cheeks in a burning stream, tearing apart a small heart... Beloyar didn't know if his beloved grandfather was still alive... Didn't know if the evil people would come back? He was just scared as hell. And there was no one to comfort him... no one to protect him...
And Svetodar lay motionless at the very bottom of a deep crack. His wide-open, clear blue eyes, seeing nothing, looked at the sky. He went far, far away, where Magdalena was waiting for him... and his beloved father with kind Radan... and sister Vesta... and his gentle, affectionate Margarita with her daughter Maria... and unfamiliar granddaughter Tara... And that's all- all those who died long ago defending their native and beloved world from non-humans who called themselves humans...
And here, on the ground, in a lonely empty cave, on a round pebble, hunched over, a man was sitting... He looked quite small. And very scared. Bitterly, weeping hysterically, he furiously rubbed his evil tears with his fists and swore in his childish soul that such a day would come when he would grow up, and then he would certainly correct the “wrong” world of adults ... Make it joyful and good! This little man was Beloyar... a great descendant of Radomir and Magdalena. Small, lost in the world of big people, crying Man...

Everything I heard from the lips of the North once again flooded my heart with sadness ... I asked myself again and again - are all these irreparable losses really natural? .. Is there really no way to rid the world of evil spirits and malice ?!. All this terrible machine of global killing made the blood run cold, leaving no hope of salvation. But at the same time, a powerful stream life-giving force flowed from somewhere into my wounded soul, opening every cell in it, every breath to fight traitors, cowards and scoundrels! be dangerous to them...
Tell me more, Sever! Tell me, please, about Qatar... How long did they live without their Guiding Star, without Magdalene?
But Sever suddenly became agitated for some reason and answered tensely:
– Forgive me, Isidora, but I think I will tell you all this later… I cannot stay here any longer. Please hold on my friend. Whatever happens, try to be strong...
And, softly melting, he left with a “breath” ...
And Caraffa was already standing on the threshold again.
- Well, Isidora, have you thought of something more sensible? - without saying hello, Caraffa began. – I really hope that this week will bring you to your senses and I will not have to resort to the most extreme measures. After all, I told you quite sincerely - I do not want to harm your beautiful daughter, rather the opposite. I would be glad if Anna continued to study and learn new things. She is still too quick-tempered in her actions and categorical in her judgments, but she has a huge potential. One can only imagine what she would be capable of if she allowed him to open up correctly! .. How do you look at this, Isidora? All I need for this is your consent. And then you will be fine again.
“Except for the death of my husband and father, isn’t it, Your Holiness?” I asked bitterly.
– Well, it was an unforeseen complication (!..). And you still have Anna, don't forget that!
– And why should I have someone to “remain”, Your Holiness? .. I had a wonderful family, which I loved very much, and which was everything for me in the world! But you destroyed it… just because of an “unforeseen complication”, as you just put it!.. Do living people really have no meaning for you?!
Caraffa relaxed into a chair and calmly said:
“People interest me only insofar as they are obedient to our most holy church. Or how extraordinary and unusual their minds are. But these come across, unfortunately, very rarely. The usual crowd does not interest me at all! This is a bunch of little-thinking meat, which is no longer suitable for anything except for the fulfillment of someone else's will and other people's orders, because their brains are not able to comprehend even the most primitive truth.
Even knowing Karaffa, I felt my head spinning with excitement ... How could it be possible to live, thinking such a thing ?!.
– Well, what about the gifted ones?.. You are afraid of them, Your Holiness, aren't you? Otherwise, you would not have killed them so brutally. Tell me, if you still burn them at the end, then why is it so inhumane to torture them even before they climb the fire? Is it really not enough for you that atrocity that you create by burning these unfortunate people alive? ..

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 a specimen caught off the coast of Sicily. Later authors recognized the existence of a separate genus of fox sharks and synonymized Alopias macrourus and Squalus vulpinus. Thus, the scientific name of the fox shark became Alopias vulpinus .

The generic and specific names are derived respectively from the words of the Greek. ἀλώπηξ and lat. vulpes, each of which means "fox". In older sources, this species is sometimes called Alopias vulpes .

Morphological and allozyme analyzes have identified the thresher shark as a basal member of the clade, which also includes the bigeye and pelagic thresher sharks. Possibility of the existence of a fourth, hitherto undescribed species belonging to the genus of fox sharks and most closely related Alopias vulpinus, was rejected after allozyme analysis conducted in 1995.

area

The range of common sea foxes covers temperate and tropical waters throughout the world. In the western Atlantic, they are distributed from Newfoundland to the Gulf of Mexico, although rarely seen off New England, and from Venezuela to Argentina. In the eastern Atlantic, they range from the North Sea and the British Isles to Ghana, including Madeira, the Azores and the Mediterranean, and from Angola to South Africa. In the Indo-Pacific region, thresher sharks are found from Tanzania to India, 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 including New Caledonia, the Society Islands, Tabuaeran and Hawaii. In the Eastern Pacific, they have been recorded in coastal waters from British Columbia to Chile, including the Gulf of California.

Thresher sharks make seasonal migrations, moving to high latitudes following masses of warm water. In the Eastern Pacific, in late summer and early autumn, males make longer migrations compared to females, reaching Vancouver Island. Young sharks prefer to stay in natural nurseries. It is likely that separate populations with different life cycles exist in the eastern Pacific and the western Indian Ocean. There are no interoceanic migrations. In the northwestern Indian Ocean, from January to May, when offspring are born, there is territorial and vertical segregation by sex. Mitochondrial DNA analysis has revealed significant regional genetic variation in thresher sharks found in different oceans. This fact confirms the hypothesis that sharks from different habitats, despite migration, do not interbreed.

Despite the fact that thresher sharks are sometimes seen in the coastal zone, they mainly lead a pelagic lifestyle and prefer to stay in the open sea, descending to a depth of 550 m. Young sharks can often be found in shallow water close to the coast.

Description

A characteristic feature of fox sharks is the strongly elongated upper lobe of the caudal fin, the length of which can be equal to the length of the body. Common sea foxes are active predators; with the help of a tail, they are able to stun the victim. They have a strong, torpedo-shaped body and a short, broad head with a conical, pointed snout. There are 5 pairs of short gill slits, with the last two slits located above the long and narrow pectoral fins. The mouth is small, curved in the form of an arch. There are 32-53 upper and 25-50 lower dentitions in the mouth. Teeth small, without serrations. The eyes are small. The third eyelid is missing.
The long, sickle-shaped pectoral fins taper to narrow, pointed tips. The first dorsal fin is quite high and is located closer to the base of the pectoral fins. The pelvic fins are about the same size as the first dorsal fin, and the males have thin, long pterygopodia. The second dorsal and anal fins are tiny. There are dorsal and ventral notches in the shape of a crescent 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 coloration 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 ventral fins, which distinguishes thresher sharks from the similar pelagic thresher sharks, which do not have spots at the base of the fins. Possible white edging on the tips of the pectoral fins.

Common sea foxes are the largest representative of the family, they reach a length of 7.6 m and a mass of 510 kg.

Biology

Food

97% of the sea fox's diet consists of bony fish, mostly small and schooling fish such as bluefish, mackerel, herring, garfish and glowing anchovies. Before attacking, the sharks circle around the school and compact it with tail strokes. Sometimes they hunt in pairs or small groups. In addition, large solitary fish, such as sawtooth, as well as squid and other pelagic invertebrates, can become their prey. Off the coast of California, they prey mainly on the California anchovy. Engraulis mordax, Oregon hake Merluccius productus, Peruvian sardine, Japanese mackerel, squid Loligo opalescens and crab Pleuroncodes planipes. During the period of the cold oceanographic regime, the composition of their diet is poorer, while during periods of warming, the spectrum of food expands.

There are numerous reports of fox sharks using the upper lobe of their caudal fin to silence their prey. Repeated cases have been recorded when, when making a blow, they hooked their tail on the longline. In July 1914, Russell J. Coles witnessed a sea fox flicking its tail into its mouth, 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 a diving sea lion could produce. A moment later, a meter-long flat tail rose above the surface of the water. Next, the scientist watched as fox sharks pursued California slaty Atherinopsis californiensis. Having overtaken the prey, she whipped it with her tail, as if with a coachman's whip, and severely injured her. In the winter of 1865, Irish ichthyologist Harry Blake-Knox observed how, in Dublin Bay, a sea fox whipped a wounded loon (possibly a black-billed loon) with its tail, which it then swallowed. Subsequently, the validity of the Blake-Knox report has been questioned on the grounds that the thresher shark's tail is not stiff or muscular enough to deliver such a blow.

Life cycle

Thresher sharks reproduce by ovoviviparity. Mating occurs in the summer, usually in July and August, and childbirth takes place from March to June. Pregnancy lasts 9 months. Fertilization and development of embryos occurs in utero. After the yolk sac is empty, the embryo begins to feed on unfertilized eggs (intrauterine oophagia). The teeth of the embryos are peg-shaped and non-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 Pacific, litter numbers range from 2 to 4 (rarely 6) newborns, and in the Eastern 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 Pacific Northeast, males mature at a length of 3.3 m, which corresponds to an 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, sea foxes are not considered to be dangerous. They are shy and immediately swim away when a person appears. Divers testify that they are difficult to approach. The International Shark Attack File records one thresher shark attacks on humans and 4 attacks on boats, probably by hooked sharks. There are unconfirmed reports of an attack on a harpooner off the coast of New Zealand.
Famous sports angler Frank Mandas in his book "Sportsfishing for Sharks" retold old story. One unfortunate fisherman leaned over the side of the boat to look at a large fish caught on his hook. At the same moment, he was decapitated by a blow from the tail of a five-meter fox shark. The body of the fisherman capsized in the boat, and the head fell into the water and could not be found. Most authors consider this story unreliable.

Sea foxes are commercially harvested in Japan, Spain, USA, Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico and Taiwan. They are taken by longlines, pelagic nets and gillnets. Meat, especially fins, is highly prized. It is consumed fresh, dried, salted and smoked. The skin is dressed, vitamins are produced from liver fat.

In the United States, commercial fishing for thresher sharks using floating gillnets on the South Carolina coast has been developed since 1977. The fishery was started by 10 vessels using large mesh nets. For 2 years, the fleet already consisted of 40 ships. The peak came in 1982, when 228 vessels caught 1,091 tons of fox sharks. After that, their numbers decreased sharply due to overfishing, and in the late 80s, production decreased to 300 tons, large individuals ceased to come across. In the United States, thresher sharks are still caught, with 80% of the catch being caught in the Pacific Ocean and 15% in the Atlantic. Thresher sharks continue to be caught most with gillnets off the coast of California and Oregon, although the more valuable swordfish are the main fish there. Xiphius gladius, and thresher sharks are caught as 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, thresher sharks are more commonly caught as bycatch in swordfish and tuna.

Due to their low fecundity, members of the thresher shark genus are highly susceptible to overfishing. Between 1986 and 2000, an analysis of pelagic longline catches showed an 80% decline in numbers of harbor seal and bigeye shark in the northwest Atlantic.

Fox sharks are valued by sports anglers on a par with mako sharks. They are caught on a bait with a multiplier reel. Bait is used as bait.

Since the 1990s, there has been a restriction on the production of fox sharks in the United States. It is against the law to cut off the fins of live sharks by throwing the carcass overboard. In the Mediterranean Sea there is a ban on the use of drifter networks, but poachers illegally use such nets up to 1.6 km long when fishing for swordfish. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has given this species Vulnerable status.

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Notes

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Links

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

An excerpt characterizing the Common sea fox

On that day, Countess Elena Vasilievna had a reception, there was a French envoy, there was a prince, who had recently become a frequent visitor to the countess's house, and many brilliant ladies and men. Pierre was downstairs, walked through the halls, and struck all the guests with his concentrated, absent-minded and gloomy look.
From the time of the ball, Pierre felt the approach of fits of hypochondria in himself 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 on he began to feel heaviness and shame in a large society, and more often the same gloomy thoughts about the futility of everything human began to come to him. At the same time, the feeling he noticed between Natasha, who was patronized by him, and Prince Andrei, his opposition between his position and the position of his friend, further strengthened this gloomy mood. He equally tried to avoid thoughts about his wife and about Natasha and Prince Andrei. Again everything seemed to him insignificant in comparison with eternity, again the question presented itself: “what for?”. And he forced himself day and night to work on the Masonic works, hoping to drive away the approach of the evil spirit. Pierre at 12 o'clock, having left the Countess's chambers, was sitting upstairs in a smoky, low room, in a worn dressing gown in front of the table and copying genuine Scottish acts, when someone entered his room. It was Prince Andrew.
“Ah, 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 Andrei, with a radiant, enthusiastic face renewed to life, stopped in front of Pierre and, not noticing his sad face, smiled at him with egoism of happiness.
“Well, my soul,” he said, “yesterday I wanted to tell you and today I came to you for this. Never experienced anything like it. I'm in love my friend.
Pierre suddenly sighed heavily and fell down with his heavy body on the sofa, next to Prince Andrei.
- To Natasha Rostov, right? - he said.
- Yes, yes, in whom? I would never believe it, but this feeling is stronger than me. Yesterday I suffered, suffered, but I will not give up this torment for anything in the world. I haven't lived before. Now only I live, but I can't live without her. But can she love me?... I'm old for her... What don't you say?...
- I? I? What did I tell you, - Pierre suddenly said, 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 beg you, don’t think, don’t hesitate, get married, get married and get married… And I’m sure that no one will be happier than you.
- But she!
- She loves you.
“Don’t talk nonsense ...” said Prince Andrei, smiling and looking into Pierre’s eyes.
“He loves, I know,” Pierre shouted angrily.
“No, listen,” said Prince Andrei, stopping him by the hand. Do you know what position I'm in? I need to tell everything to someone.
“Well, well, say, I’m very glad,” Pierre said, and indeed his face changed, the wrinkle smoothed out, and he joyfully listened to Prince Andrei. Prince Andrei seemed and was a completely different, new person. Where was his anguish, his contempt for life, his disappointment? Pierre was only person before which 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 was surprised how on something strange, alien, independent of him, against the feeling that possessed him.
“I would not believe someone who would tell me that I can love like that,” said Prince Andrei. “It's not the same feeling I had before. The whole world is divided for me into two halves: one is she and there is all the happiness of hope, light; the other half - everything where it is not there, there is all despondency and darkness ...
“Darkness and gloom,” Pierre repeated, “yes, yes, I understand that.
“I can't help but love the light, it's not my fault. 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 touching 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 calm, but inward malice, received his son's message. He could not understand that someone wanted to change life, to bring something new into it, when life was already ending 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 diplomacy he used on important occasions. Assuming a calm tone, he discussed the whole matter.
Firstly, the marriage was not brilliant in relation to kinship, wealth and nobility. Secondly, Prince Andrei was not the first youth and was in poor health (the old man especially leaned on this), and she was very young. Thirdly, there was a son whom it was a pity to give to a girl. Fourthly, finally, - said the father, looking mockingly at his son, - I beg you, postpone the matter for a year, go abroad, take medical treatment, find, as you like, a German, for Prince Nikolai, and then, if it’s 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 such a tone that he showed that nothing would make him change his mind.
Prince Andrei 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 this time, and decided to fulfill the will of his father: to propose and postpone the wedding for a year.
Three weeks after his last evening at the Rostovs, Prince Andrei returned to Petersburg.

The next day after her explanation with her mother, Natasha waited all day for Bolkonsky, but he did not arrive. The next day, the third day, it was the same. Pierre also did not come, and Natasha, not knowing that Prince Andrei had gone to her father, could not explain his absence to herself.
So three weeks passed. Natasha did not want to go anywhere, and like a shadow, idle and despondent, she walked around the rooms, in the evening she secretly cried from everyone and did not appear in the evenings to her mother. She was constantly blushing and irritated. It seemed to her that everyone knew about her disappointment, laughed and regretted her. With all the strength of inner grief, this vainglorious grief increased her misfortune.
One day she came to the countess, wanted to say something to her, and suddenly burst into tears. Her tears were the tears of an offended child who himself does not know why he is being punished.
The Countess began to reassure Natasha. Natasha, who at first listened to her mother's words, 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 she recovered herself and calmly continued: “And I don’t want to get married at all. And I'm afraid of him; I am now completely, completely, calmed down ...
The next day after this conversation, Natasha put on that old dress, which she was especially aware of for the cheerfulness it delivered in the morning, and in the morning she began her former way of life, from which she lagged 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). Having finished the first lesson, she stopped in the middle of the hall and repeated one musical phrase that she especially liked. She listened joyfully to that (as if unexpected for her) charm with which these sounds, shimmering, filled the entire emptiness of the hall and slowly died away, and she suddenly became cheerful. “Why think about it so much and so well,” she said to herself, and began to walk up and down the hall, stepping not with simple steps on the resonant parquet, but at every step stepping from heel (she was wearing new, favorite shoes) to toe, and just as joyfully as to the sounds of his voice, listening to this measured clatter of heels and the creaking of socks. Passing by a mirror, she looked into it. - "Here I am!" as if the expression on her face at the sight of herself spoke. “Well, that's good. And I don't need anyone."
The footman wanted to come 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 that morning again to her beloved state of self-love and admiration for herself. - “What a charm this Natasha is!” she said again to herself in the words of some third, collective, masculine face. - "Good, voice, young, and she does not interfere with 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 front door the entrance door opened, someone asked: are you at home? and someone's footsteps were heard. Natasha looked in the mirror, but she did not see herself. She listened to the sounds in the hallway. When she saw herself, her face was pale. It was he. She knew this for sure, although she barely heard the sound of his voice from the closed doors.
Natasha, pale and frightened, ran into the living room.
- Mom, Bolkonsky has arrived! - she said. - Mom, this is terrible, this is unbearable! “I don’t want to… suffer!” What should I do?…
The countess had not yet had time to answer her, when Prince Andrei 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 beside the sofa.
“For a long time we have not had pleasure ...” the countess began, but Prince Andrei 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 needed to talk to him about a very important matter. I just got back last night,” he said, looking at Natasha. “I need to talk to you, Countess,” he added after a moment's silence.
The Countess sighed heavily and lowered her eyes.
“I am at your service,” she said.
Natasha knew that she had to leave, but she could not do it: something was squeezing her throat, and she looked impolitely, directly, with open eyes at Prince Andrei.
"Now? This minute!… No, it can't be!” she thought.
He looked at her again, and this look convinced her that she had not been mistaken. - Yes, now, this very minute her fate was being decided.
“Come, Natasha, I will call you,” said the countess in a whisper.
Natasha looked with frightened, pleading eyes at Prince Andrei and at her mother, and went out.
“I have come, Countess, to ask for the hand of your daughter,” said Prince Andrei. The countess's face flushed, but she said nothing.
“Your suggestion…” the Countess began sedately. He remained silent, looking into her eyes. - Your offer ... (she was embarrassed) we are pleased, and ... I accept your offer, I'm 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 Andrew.
“Yes,” said the Countess, and held out her hand to him, and with a mixture of aloofness and tenderness pressed her lips to his forehead as he leaned 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 informed my plans, made it an indispensable condition for consent that the wedding should not be earlier than a year. And this is what I wanted to tell you, - said Prince Andrei.
- It is true that Natasha is still young, but so long.
“It could not be otherwise,” Prince Andrei said with a sigh.
“I will 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 sat on her bed, pale, with dry eyes, looked at the icons and, quickly making the sign of the cross, whispered something. Seeing her mother, she jumped up and rushed to her.
- What? Mom?… What?
- Go, go to him. He asks for your hand, - the countess said coldly, as it seemed to Natasha ... - Go ... go, - the mother said with sadness and reproach after the fleeing daughter, and sighed heavily.
Natasha did not remember how she entered the living room. When she entered the door and saw him, she stopped. “Is this stranger really become my everything now?” she asked herself and instantly answered: “Yes, everything: he alone is now dearer to me than everything in the world.” Prince Andrei went up to her, lowering his eyes.
“I fell in love with you from the moment I saw you. Can I hope?
He looked at her, and the earnest passion of her countenance struck him. Her face said: “Why ask? Why doubt that which is impossible not to know? Why talk when you can’t express what you feel in words.
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 and more often, and sobbed.
– About what? What's wrong with you?
“Oh, I’m so happy,” she answered, smiled through her tears, leaned closer to him, thought for a second, as if asking herself if it was possible, and kissed him.
Prince Andrei 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 no former poetic and mysterious charm of desire, but there was pity for her feminine and childish weakness, there was fear of her devotion and gullibility, a heavy and at the same time joyful consciousness of the duty that bound him forever with her. The real feeling, although it was not as light and poetic as the former, was more serious and stronger.
“Did maman tell you that it couldn’t be before a year?” - said Prince Andrei, continuing to look into her eyes. “Is it really me, that child girl (everyone said so about me) thought Natasha, is it possible that from now on I am a wife, equal to this stranger, dear, smart person respected even by my father. Is that really true! Is it really true that now it is no longer possible to joke with life, now I am big, now responsibility for all my deeds and words lies on me? Yes, what did he ask me?
“No,” she answered, but she did not understand what he was asking.
“Forgive me,” said Prince Andrei, “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, but did not understand.
“No matter how hard this year will be for me, postponing my happiness,” continued Prince Andrei, “during this period you will believe yourself. I ask you to make my happiness in a year; but you are free: our engagement will remain a secret, and if you are convinced that you do not love me, or would love ... - said Prince Andrei with an unnatural smile.
Why are you saying this? Natasha interrupted him. “You know that from the very 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 is it a year? Why a year? ... - Prince Andrei began to explain to her the reasons for this delay. Natasha didn't listen to him.
- And it can not be otherwise? she asked. Prince Andrei did not answer, but his face expressed the impossibility of changing this decision.
- This is terrible! No, it's terrible, terrible! Natasha suddenly spoke up and sobbed again. “I’ll die waiting for a year: it’s impossible, it’s terrible. - She looked into the face of her fiancé and saw on him an expression of compassion and bewilderment.
“No, no, I’ll do everything,” she said, suddenly stopping her tears, “I’m so happy!” The 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 a groom.

There was no betrothal, and no one was announced about Bolkonsky's engagement to Natasha; Prince Andrew insisted on this. He said that since he was the cause of the delay, he must bear the full burden of it. He said that he had forever bound himself 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 own right if she refuses him. It goes without saying that neither the parents nor Natasha wanted to hear about it; but Prince Andrei insisted on his own. Prince Andrei visited the Rostovs every day, but not like a groom treated Natasha: he told her you and only kissed her hand. Between Prince Andrei and Natasha, after the day of the proposal, completely different than before, close, simple relations were established. 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 beings: then pretended, now simple and sincere. At first, the family felt awkward in dealing with Prince Andrei; he seemed like a man from an alien world, and Natasha for a long time accustomed her family to Prince Andrei 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 a few days, the family got used to him and did not hesitate to lead the old way of life with him, in which he took part. He knew how to talk about housekeeping with the count, and about outfits with the countess and Natasha, and about albums and canvases with Sonya. Sometimes the family Rostovs among themselves and under Prince Andrei were surprised at how all this happened and how obvious the omens of this were: both the arrival of Prince Andrei in Otradnoye, and their arrival in Petersburg, and the similarity between Natasha and Prince Andrei, which the nanny noticed on the first visit Prince Andrei, and the clash in 1805 between Andrei and Nikolai, and many other omens of what happened, were noticed at home.
The house was dominated by that poetic boredom and silence that always accompanies the presence of the bride and groom. Often sitting together, everyone was silent. Sometimes they got up and left, and the bride and groom, remaining alone, were also silent. Rarely did they talk about their future lives. Prince Andrei 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 Andrei blushed, which often happened to him now and that Natasha especially loved, and said that his son would not live with them.
- From what? Natasha said scared.
“I can’t take him away from my grandfather and then…”
How I would love him! - said Natasha, immediately guessing his thought; but I know you want no pretexts to accuse you and me.
The old count sometimes approached Prince Andrei, kissed him, asked him for advice on the upbringing of Petya or the service of Nikolai. The old countess sighed as she looked at them. Sonya was afraid at any moment to be superfluous and tried to find excuses to leave them alone when they did not need it. When Prince Andrei 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 searchingly. She asked herself in bewilderment: “What is he looking for in me? What is he trying to achieve with his eyes? What, if not in me what he is looking for with this look? Sometimes she entered into her insanely cheerful mood, and then she especially liked to listen and watch how Prince Andrei laughed. He rarely laughed, but when he did, he gave himself over to his laughter, and every time after that laughter she felt closer to him. Natasha would have been perfectly happy if the thought of the upcoming and approaching parting had not frightened her, since he, too, turned pale and cold at the mere thought of it.
On the eve of his departure from Petersburg, Prince Andrei brought with him Pierre, who had never been to the Rostovs since the ball. Pierre seemed confused and embarrassed. He was talking to his mother. Natasha sat down with Sonya at the chess table, thus inviting Prince Andrei to her. He approached them.
"You've known the Earless for a long time, haven't you?" - he asked. - Do you love him?
- Yes, he is nice, but very funny.
And she, as always talking about Pierre, began to tell jokes about his absent-mindedness, jokes that they even made up about him.
“You know, I confided our secret to him,” said Prince Andrei. “I have known him since childhood. This is a heart of gold. I beg you, Natalie,” he said suddenly seriously; I'm leaving, God knows what might happen. You can spill... Well, I know I shouldn't talk about it. One thing - whatever happens to you when I'm gone...
– What will happen?…
“Whatever the grief,” continued Prince Andrei, “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 Andrei himself could foresee how parting with her fiancé would affect Natasha. Red and agitated, with dry eyes, she walked around the house that day, doing the most insignificant things, as if not understanding what awaited her. She did not cry even at the moment when he said goodbye, he kissed her hand for the last time. - Don't leave! she only said to him in a voice that made him wonder if he really needed to stay and which he remembered for a long time after that. When he left, she didn't cry either; but for several days she sat in her room without crying, was not interested in anything, and only occasionally said: “Ah, why did he leave!”
But two weeks after his departure, just as unexpectedly for those around her, she 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 Andreevich Bolkonsky, in this last year after the departure of his son, became very weak. He became even more irritable than before, and all his outbursts of unreasonable anger for the most part fell upon Princess Mary. It was as if he diligently sought out all her sore spots in order to torture her morally 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. Whatever 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 you yourself; in vain: Prince Andrei needs a son, not a girl, ”he said. Or, turning to mademoiselle Bourime, he asked her in front of Princess Mary how she liked our priests and images, and joked ...