Circumglobal. Indo-Pacific: Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Maldives, Somalia, South Africa, Western Australia, China, Taiwan, Japan, New Caledonia, Hawaiian Islands and Tahiti. Eastern Pacific: Gulf of California and the Galapagos. Reliable records lacking partly due to its confusion with Alopias vulpinus.

A small thresher with moderately large eyes, a broadly convex forehead, a very narrow caudal tip, and straight, broad-tipped pectoral fins. Upper lobe of caudal fin very long and strap-like, almost equal to length of rest of shark; lower lobe short but strong; terminal lobe very small.

Primarily an oceanic species but sometimes close inshore; neritic to oceanic, 0-152 m. Epipelagic. Mesopelagic in the tropics; may enter atoll lagoons. Stuns its prey with its tail, presumably feeding on small fishes and cephalopods. Ovoviviparous, embryos feeding on yolk sac and other ova produced by the mother.