A genus of large ocean sharks commonly called thresher sharks, named for their long whip-like tails.
From Greek 'alopex' (fox) combined with Latin '-ias,' the taxonomy references the shark's tail resembling a fox's bushy tail. Carl Linnaeus used this name in the 1700s.
Thresher sharks literally use their tails as whips to stun and round up fish—they're one of nature's most dramatic hunters, and they're named after foxes! It's a case of mistaken visual similarity leading to an accidentally perfect name.
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