Thresher Shark

Photo: Jenvit Seriburi · © all rights reserved

Pelagic thresher sharks visit Alor's cleaning stations in the early morning hours, their extraordinarily elongated tail lobes — as long as their bodies — used to herd and stun schooling fish in open water. At cleaning stations they behave unusually cooperatively, remaining still while cleaner wrasse remove parasites, suggesting the cleaning benefit outweighs the energy cost of the visit. Their pelagic lifestyle, slow reproductive rate, and value in the fin trade have driven significant population declines across the Indo-Pacific, making Alor one of the few remaining reliable encounter sites.