matawhā
1. (noun) bronze whaler, Carcharhinus brachyurus - a heavy-bodied shark up to 3 m long with a broadly rounded snout. Bronze above, sometimes olive-green. Common around upper North Island but occurs south to Cook Strait and Tasman Bay in summer.
See also ngengero
2. (noun) blue shark, Prionace glauca - light-bodied with long pectoral fins. Body slender, tapering from the snout. The top of the body is deep blue, lighter on the sides, and the underside is white. The male blue shark commonly grows to 1.82 to 2.82 m at maturity, whereas the larger females commonly grow to 2.2 to 3.3 m. They feed primarily on small fish and squid, although they can take larger prey. Common throughout Aotearoa/New Zealand.
See also aupounamu
Synonyms: mangō au pounamu, mangō pounamu, taha pounamu, ngengero, aupounamu
