Difference between revisions of "AY Honors/Species Account/Isurus oxyrinchus"

From Pathfinder Wiki
 
m (W126jep moved page Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Species Account/Isurus oxyrinchus to AY Honors/Species Account/Isurus oxyrinchus without leaving a redirect: Part of translatable page "Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Species Account/Isurus oxyrinchus")
 
(98 intermediate revisions by 31 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Taxobox
+
<noinclude><translate><!--T:1-->
| name = Shortfin mako shark
+
</noinclude>
| status = VU
+
{{species id
| status_system = iucn3.1
+
|common_name=Shortfin Mako
| status_ref =<ref>{{cite press release |title=More oceanic sharks added to the IUCN Red List |publisher=[[IUCN]] |date=2007-02-22 |url=http://www.iucn.org/en/news/archive/2007/02/22_pr_sharks.htm |language= |accessdate=2007-02-25 |quote=The global threat status was heightened for shortfin mako, a favorite shark among commercial and recreational fishermen, from ''Near Threatened'' in 2000 to ''Vulnerable'' today.}}</ref>
+
|latin_name=Isurus oxyrinchus
| image = Isurus oxyrinchus by mark conlin2.JPG
+
|image=Isurus oxyrinchus by mark conlin2.JPG
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
+
|description=
| phyyyyylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
+
The 'Shortfin Mako Shark (''Isurus oxyrinchus''—meaning "sharp nose") is a large mackerel shark. It is commonly referred to as the ''mako shark'' together with the longfin mako shark (''Isurus paucus'').
| classis = [[Chondrichthyes]]
 
| ordo = [[Lamniformes]]
 
| familia = [[Lamnidae]]
 
| genus = ''[[Isurus]]''
 
| species = '''''I. oxyrinchus'''''
 
| binomial = ''Isurus oxyrinchus''
 
| binomial_authority = [[Constantine Samuel Rafinesque|Rafinesque]], 1810
 
}}
 
The '''shortfin mako shark''', ''Isurus oxyrinchus'' ("sharp nose"), is a large horny[[mackerel shark]]. Along with the closely related [[longfin mako]] (''Isurus paucus'') it is commonly referred to as a "'''mako shark'''".
 
  
==Etymology==
+
<!--T:2-->
In 1809, [[Constantine Rafinesque]] first described shortfin mako and coined the name Isurus oxyrinchus ([[Isurus]] means "the same tail", oxyrinchus means "pointy snout"). "Mako" comes from the [[Māori language]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maori.info/maori_language.htm|title=Maori language - a glossary of useful words from the language of the Maori New Zealand|accessdate=2006-08-11}}</ref> meaning either the shark or a shark tooth. It may have originated in a [[dialect]]al variation as it is similar to the common words for shark in a number of [[Polynesian languages]]—''makō'' in the [[Ngai Tahu|Kāi Tahu]] Māori dialect,<ref name="DMaori">{{cite book|title=Dictionary of the Maori Language|author=H.W.Williams|edition=7th|year=1971}}</ref> ''mangō'' in other Māori dialects,<ref name="DMaori"/> "mago" in [[Samoan language|Samoan]], ''ma'o'' in [[Tahitian language|Tahitian]], and ''mano'' in [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]]. The first written usage is in [[Samuel Lee (linguist)|Lee]] & [[Thomas Kendall|Kendall's]] ''Grammar and vocabulary of the language of New Zealand'' (1820), which simply states "Máko; A certain fish".<ref>{{cite book|title=Oxford: The Dictionary of New Zealand English: New Zealand words and their origins|year=1997}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=mako|title=Online Etymology Dictionary|accessdate=2008-03-08}}</ref> [[Richard Taylor (missionary)|Richard Taylor's]] ''A leaf from the natural history of New Zealand'' (1848) is more elaborate: "Mako, the shark which has the tooth so highly prized by the Maoris".<ref>{{cite book|title=A leaf from the natural history of New Zealand|author=Richard Taylor|year=1848|page=xiii|nopp=true}}</ref>
+
The Shortfin Mako is a fairly large species of shark. An average adult specimen will measure around 3.2 meters in length and weigh from 60-135 kg. Females are larger than males. The largest "mako" taken (not verified between the two species) on hook-and-line was 505.8 kg.
<!-- the 1727 reference that appears in the Oxford English Dictionary and others is a misinterpretation of the Japanese word "makko" (sperm whale)-->
 
  
==Anatomy and appearance==
+
<!--T:3-->
Although both sexes grow at about the same rate, females are thought to have a longer [[life expectancy|life span]], and generally grow larger and more robust. This species grows to an average length of {{convert|1.82|-|3.2|m}}<ref>[http://www.sdnhm.org/kids/sharks/shore-to-sea/mako.html SDNHM: Mako Shark (Isurus oxyrinchus)]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Isurus_oxyrinchus.html |title=ADW: Isurus oxyrinchus: Information |publisher=Animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu |date=2010-04-18 |accessdate=2010-04-24}}</ref> and to a weight of approximately {{convert|60|-|400|kg}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/shortfinmako/shortfinmako.html |title=Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department: Shortfin Mako |publisher=Flmnh.ufl.edu |date= |accessdate=2010-04-24}}</ref> The largest reported male specimen weighed {{convert|454|kg|lb|abbr=on}} and measured {{convert|4.02|m|ft|abbr=on}}, although a near record-sized female shortfin mako measuring {{convert|3.96|m|ft|abbr=on}} weighed {{convert|794|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref>[http://homepage.mac.com/mollet/Io/Io_large.html Large shortfin makos]</ref>
+
The Shortfin Mako is cylindrical in shape, with a vertically-elongated tail that assists its highly hydrodynamic lifestyle. The Mako is in fact the fastest shark of all. This species' color is brilliant metallic blue dorsally and white ventrally, although coloration varies as the shark ages and increases in size. The line of demarcation between blue and white on the body is distinct. The underside of the snout and the area around the mouth are white. Larger specimens tend to possess darker color that extends onto parts of the body that are white in smaller individuals. The juvenile mako differs in that it has a clear blackish stain on the tip of the snout. The Longfin mako shark very much resembles the Shortfin, but has larger pectoral fins, dark rather than pale coloration around the mouth and larger eyes. The presence of only one lateral keel on the tail and the lack of lateral cusps on the teeth distinguish the makos from the closely related porbeagle sharks of the genus ''Lamna''. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhHDXk8g4FE Mako surprises diver]
The shortfin is sleek and spindle-shaped with a long conical snout. Mako sharks have a more [[hydrodynamic]] shape than any shark other than the [[salmon shark]]. Combined with the lamnidae's typical high [[Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration]] muscle mass, this enables its spectacular speed and movements with great agility.
 
  
It has a crescent shaped [[caudal fin|caudal (tail) fin]]. The caudal base has a distinct [[caudal keel]]. Its second [[dorsal fin]] is much smaller than the first. The [[Wiktionary|apexes]] of pectoral fin and first dorsal fin are rounded in younger makos. Shortfin mako skin has very abrasive [[placoid scales]] to reduce [[friction]] during swimming, like the dimples of a [[golf ball]].
+
<!--T:4-->
 
+
|range=
===Distinguishing characteristics===
+
The shortfin mako inhabits offshore temperate and tropical seas worldwide. The closely related longfin mako shark, ''Isurus paucus'', is found in the Gulf Stream or warmer offshore waters.
* Teeth are visible even when the mouth is closed
+
}}
* Teeth are long and slender with smooth-edged [[Cusp (dentistry)|cusps]]
+
<noinclude></translate></noinclude>
* Distinct [[countershading]], dorsally blue and ventrally white
 
* Moderately short [[pectoral fin]]s<ref name="MK"/><ref name="GG"/>
 
* It also looks like a [[Great White Shark]]
 
* Curved teeth to hold prey
 
 
 
==Ecology==
 
===Range and habitat===
 
[[Image:Isurus-oxyrinchus.jpg|right|thumb|]]
 
The shortfin mako inhabits offshore [[temperate]] and [[tropical]] seas worldwide. The closely related [[longfin mako shark]], ''Isurus paucus'', is found in the [[Gulf Stream]] or warmer offshore waters.
 
 
 
It is a [[pelagic]] species that can be found from the surface down to depths of {{convert|150|m|ft|abbr=on}}, normally far from land though occasionally closer to shore, around islands or inlets.<ref name="SG"/>  One of only four known [[Warm-blooded|endothermic]] sharks, it is seldom found in waters colder than {{convert|16|C|F|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite news | title= Shortfin Mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) | date=05/08/29 | publisher=Shark Foundation / Hai-Stiftung | url =http://www.shark.ch/Database/Search/species.html?sh_id=1027 | accessdate = 2008-11-18 | language = }}</ref>
 
 
 
In the western [[Atlantic]] it can be found from [[Argentina]] and the [[Gulf of Mexico]] to [[Gulf of Maine#Geographic features and biological importance|Browns Bank]] off of [[Nova Scotia]]. In [[Canada|Canadian]] waters these sharks are neither abundant nor rare. Swordfish are a good indication of shortfin makos as the former is a source of food and prefers similar environmental conditions.<ref>{{cite news | first=Steven | last=Campana | coauthors= Warren Joyce,Zoey Zahorodny | title=Shortfin Mako | date=2 October 2008 | publisher=The Canadian Shark Research Laboratory | url =http://www.marinebiodiversity.ca/shark/english/skull6.htm | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2008-11-16 | language = }}</ref>
 
 
 
Shortfin makos travel long distances to seek prey or mates.  In December 1998, a female tagged off [[California]] was captured in the central Pacific by a Japanese research vessel, meaning this fish traveled over {{convert|1725|mi|km}}. Another swam {{convert|1322|mi|km}} in 37 days, averaging {{convert|36|mi|km}} a day.<ref name="SS"/>
 
 
 
===Feeding===
 
[[Image:Close up of mako shark head 005.jpg|thumb|left|The head of a mako shark.]]
 
The shortfin mako feeds mainly upon [[cephalopods]], bony fishes including [[mackerel]]s, [[tuna]]s, [[bonito]]s, and [[swordfish]], but it may also eat other sharks, [[porpoise]]s, [[sea turtle]]s, and seabirds. They hunt by lunging vertically up and tearing off chunks of their preys' flanks and fins. Makos swim below their prey, so they can see what is above and have a high [[probability]] of reaching prey before it notices. Biting the [[caudal peduncle]] can [[immobilize]] the prey. In Ganzirri and Isola Lipari, [[Sicily]], shortfin makos have been found with [[amputated]] swordfish bills impaled into their head and gills, suggesting that swordfish seriously injure and likely kill makos. In addition, this location, and the late spring and early summer timing, corresponding to the swordfish's [[spawn (biology)|spawning]] cycle, suggests that these makos hunt while the swordfish are most vulnerable, typical of many predators.<ref name="SG">{{cite web |url=http://sharks-med.netfirms.com/med/mako.htm |title=The Shark Gallery - Shortfin Mako Shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) |publisher="The [[Shark Trust]]"|accessdate=2008-10-02}}</ref>
 
 
 
Shortfin consume 3% of its weight each day and takes about 1.5–2 days to digest an average-sized meal. By comparison, an inactive species such as the [[sandbar shark]] consumes 0.6% of its  weight a day and takes 3 to 4 days to digest  it. An analysis of the stomach contents of 399 male and female mako sharks ranging from {{convert|67|-|328|cm}} suggest makos from [[Cape Hatteras]] to the [[Grand Banks]] prefer [[bluefish]], constituting 77.5% of the diet by volume. The average capacity of the stomach was 10% of the total weight. Shortfin makos consumed 4.3% to 14.5% of the available bluefish between Cape Hatteras and [[Georges Bank]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=Food, Feeding Habits, and Estimates of Daily Ration of the Shortfin Mako (Isurus oxyrinchus ) in the Northwest Atlantic.|journal=Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences|year=1982|first=|last=|coauthors=|volume= 39|issue=  3|pages=407–414.|id= |url=http://md1.csa.com/partners/viewrecord.php?requester=gs&collection=ENV&recid=226343&q=Shortfin+mako&uid=793124504&setcookie=yes|format=|accessdate=2008-11-04|doi=10.1139/f82-058|last1=Stillwell|first1=C.E.|last2=Kohler|first2=N.E. }}</ref>
 
 
 
Shortfin over {{convert|3|m|ft}} have interior teeth considerably wider and flatter than smaller makos, which enables them to prey effectively upon [[dolphin]]s, [[swordfish]], and other sharks.<ref name="SS">{{cite news | first= Martin | last= R. Aidan. | coauthors= | title=Open Ocean: the Blue DesertShortfin Mako | year=2003 | publisher=ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research | url =http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/ecology/ocean-mako.htm | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2008-11-14 | language = }}</ref> An amateur videotape, taken in Pacific waters, shows a moribund spotted dolphin whose tail was almost completely severed, with a very large shortfin mako circling the dying dolphin.  Makos also have the tendency to scavenge long-lined and netted fish.<ref>{{cite news | first=Ian | last=Fergusson | coauthors= | title=Shortfin Mako Shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) | date= | publisher= | url =http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/sharktrust/mako.shtml | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2008-11-18 | language = }}</ref>
 
 
 
Its endothermic constitution partly accounts for its relatively great speed.<ref name="MK">{{cite news | first=Nancy | last=Passarelli | coauthors= Craig Knickle and Kristy DiVittorio | title=SHORTFIN MAKO | date= | publisher=Florida Museum of Natural History | url =http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/ShortfinMako/Shortfinmako.html | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2008-10-06 | language = }}</ref>
 
 
 
Like other [[Lamnidae|lamnid]] sharks, the shortfin mako has a heat exchange [[circulatory system]] that allows the shark to be 7-10°F (4-7°C) warmer than the surrounding water. This system enables makos to maintain at a stable, very high level of activity,<ref name="GG">{{cite news | first=M. McGrouther |  title=Shortfin Mako | date=May 2007 | publisher=Australian Museum | url =http://www.australianmuseum.net.au/fishes/fishfacts/fish/ioxyrinchus.htm | accessdate = 2008-11-15  }}</ref> giving it an advantage over its cold-blooded prey.<ref>{{cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Shortfin Mako Shark | date=Tuesday, October 30, 2007 | publisher=2008 Discovery Communications, LLC | url =http://dsc.discovery.com/sharks/shortfin-mako-shark.html | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2008-11-04 | language = }}</ref>
 
 
 
==Behavior==
 
The shortfin mako's speed has been recorded at {{convert|50|km/h|mph}} with bursts of up to {{convert|74|km/h|mph}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/shark_profiles/i_oxyrinchus.htm|title=Biology of the Shortfin Mako|publisher=ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research|accessdate=2006-08-12|author=R. Aidan Martin}}</ref> They can leap approximate {{convert|9|m|ft}} high or higher in the air. Some scientists suggest that the [[biochemistry]] of shortfin mako can swim up to {{convert|100|km/h|mph}}. Scientists are in debate exactly how fast the shortfin mako shark can swim, as well as which particular species are actually the champion ocean swimmers. This high-leaping fish is sought as [[game (food)|game]] worldwide. There are cases when an angry mako jumped into a boat after having been hooked.
 
 
 
This shark is highly [[Fish migration|migratory]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}
 
 
 
==Life history==
 
===Reproduction===
 
The shortfin mako shark is a yolk-sac [[Ovoviviparity|ovoviviparous]] shark, giving birth to live young. Developing embryos feed on unfertilized eggs in uterus during the 15 to 18 month [[gestation]] period. This is called ([[oophagy]]) (i.e. egg-eating). Shortfins do not engage in sibling cannibalism unlike the sand tiger shark (''[[Carcharias taurus]]''). The 4 to 18 surviving young are born live in the late winter and early spring at a length of about {{convert|70|cm}}. It is believed that females may rest for 18 months after birth before mating again. Last and Stevens (2009) report shortfin makos bear young on average every 3 years.<ref name="Last.and.Stevens.2009">
 
{{cite book
 
  | last = Last | first = PR
 
  | coauthors = & Stevens JD
 
  | title = Sharks and Rays of Australia — Second Edition
 
  | publisher = CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation)
 
  | year = 2009
 
  | location = Australia
 
  | isbn = 9780643094574}}
 
</ref>
 
 
 
===Lifespan===
 
 
 
A landmark study by Natanson et al. (2006) has overturned previous highly inaccurate estimations of lifespan and sexual maturity in shortfin makos from the North Atlantic.<ref name="Natanson.et.al.2006">
 
{{Cite journal
 
  | last = Natanson | first = L.J.
 
  | coauthors = Kohler, N.E., Ardizzone, D., Cailliet, G.M., Wintner, S.P. and Mollet, H.F.
 
  | title = Validated age and growth estimates for the shortfin mako, ''Isurus oxyrhinchus'', in the North Atlantic Ocean.
 
  | journal = Environmental Biology of Fishes
 
  | volume = 77
 
  | issue = 3-4
 
  | pages = 367–383
 
  | year = 2006
 
  | url = http://na.nefsc.noaa.gov/sharks/refpdfs/Natanson%20et%20al%202006.pdf
 
  | doi = 10.1007/s10641-006-9127-z}}
 
</ref>  Natanson et al. (2006) aged vertebrae of 258 specimens and recorded:
 
 
 
* Maximum age of 29 years in males (260&nbsp;cm FL)
 
* Maximum age of 32 years in females (335&nbsp;cm FL)
 
* 50% sexual maturity at 8 years in males (185&nbsp;cm FL)
 
* 50% sexual maturity at 18 years in females (275&nbsp;cm FL)
 
 
 
Last and Stevens (2009) report similar findings.<ref name="Last.and.Stevens.2009"/>
 
 
 
==Relation to humans==
 
===Sustainable consumption===
 
In 2010, [[Greenpeace International]] added the shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus or [[mackerel shark]]) to its seafood red list. "The Greenpeace International seafood red list is a list of fish that are commonly sold in supermarkets around the world, and which have a very high risk of being sourced from unsustainable fisheries."<ref>[http://www.greenpeace.org/international/seafood/red-list-of-species Greenpeace International Seafood Red list]</ref>
 
 
 
===Captivity===
 
Of all recorded attempts to keep [[pelagic]] shark species in [[Captivity (animal)|captivity]], the shortfin mako has fared the poorest; even more so than the [[oceanic whitetip shark]], the [[blue shark]] and the [[great white shark]]. The current record is held by a specimen that, in 2001, was kept at the [[New Jersey]] Aquarium for only five days. Like past attempts at keeping ''Isurus'' in captivity, the animal appeared strong upon arrival but had trouble negotiating the walls of the aquarium, refused to feed, quickly weakened and expired.<ref>[http://homepage.mac.com/mollet/ Elasmobranch Research around Monterey Bay<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
 
 
 
===Attacks on humans===
 
[[International Shark Attack File|ISAF]] statistics records forty-two shortfin [[Shark attack|attacks]] between 1980 and 2010, on humans, three fatal, along with twenty [[boat]] attacks.<ref>[http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/statistics/species2.htm ISAF Statistics on Attacking Species of Shark<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Sharks can be attracted to spear fishermen carrying a stuck fish, and may slap them with [[cavitation]] bubbles from a swift tail flick. Though, generally these species of sharks will not attack humans. When humans are attacked, it is because they are mistaken for weakened or hurt prey.
 
 
 
===In popular culture===
 
* The character Chum from [[Finding Nemo]] is a short-fin mako.
 
* A mako shark appeared in [[Ernest Hemingway]]'s novella, ''[[The Old Man and the Sea]]''.
 
* Three impossibly large short-fin mako sharks appear as the antagonists in the film ''[[Deep Blue Sea]]''. Each one is approximately 23 feet in length and weighs around 8,000 pounds, a size that no mako has ever come closer to attaining - even the Great White rarely approaches this size. Shown using animatronics and [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]], the three sharks are genetically engineered to be [[intelligent]], and in one case, extremely large. They destroy the facility they are housed in and eat most of the scientists studying them, before they are eventually killed (each is killed as an homage to the death of a shark in the [[Jaws (franchise)|Jaws]] movies.) A '[[tiger shark]]' is seen early in the film, but it is really a mako shark with fanciful stripes.
 
* In the movie [[The Beach (film)]] a Mako Shark attacks Richard ([[DiCaprio]]), who eventually kills it with a hunting knife.
 
*Mako is one of the protagonist in the 1986 animated TV series ''[[TigerSharks]]''.
 
* The Proprietor of the Mermaid Cafe in the manga series [[One Piece]] is a short fin mako shark mermaid.
 
 
 
==See also==
 
{{Portal|Sharks}}
 
* {{Outline|Outline of sharks}}
 
 
 
==Notes==
 
{{Reflist|2}}
 
 
 
==References==
 
{{Wikispecies|Isurus oxyrinchus}}
 
* {{IUCN2006|assessors=Stevens|year=2000|id=39341|title=Isurus oxyrinchus|downloaded=6 May 2006}} Database entry includes justification for why this species is near threatened
 
* {{ITIS |id=159924 |taxon=Isurus oxyrinchus |accessdate=23 January 2006}}
 
* {{FishBase species | genus = Isurus | species = oxyrinchus | month = May | year = 2006}}
 
{{Taxon|type=fish|name=Shortfin mako shark|catlifeid=1280961|biolibid=138648|genus=Isurus|species=oxyrinchus|gbifid=13551319/|iucnid=39341|eolid=17144829}}
 
 
 
==External links==
 
* ARKive - [http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/fish/Isurus_oxyrinchus/ images and movies of the shortfin mako ''(Isurus oxyrinchus)'']
 
* [http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/yarmouth.asp CANADA: Record Mako Shark Caught]
 
* {{marinebio|id369|name=Shortfin mako shark, ''Isurus oxyrinchus''}}
 
* [http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn15151-why-a-speeding-shark-is-like-a-golf-ball.html?feedId=online-news_rss20 Shortfin mako sharks can shoot through the ocean at up to 50 miles per hour], ''New Scientist'', 7 November 2008
 
 
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shortfin Mako Shark}}
 
[[Category:Lamnidae]]
 
[[Category:Ovoviviparous fish]]
 
 
 
[[bg:Акула мако]]
 
[[ca:Solraig]]
 
[[cs:Žralok mako]]
 
[[de:Kurzflossen-Mako]]
 
[[es:Isurus oxyrinchus]]
 
[[eu:Marrazo muturluze]]
 
[[fr:Requin mako]]
 
[[ko:청상아리]]
 
[[it:Isurus oxyrinchus]]
 
[[nl:Kortvinmakreelhaai]]
 
[[ja:アオザメ]]
 
[[no:Makrellhai]]
 
[[pl:Ostronos atlantycki]]
 
[[pt:Tubarão-mako]]
 
[[ru:Мако (акула)]]
 
[[sk:Mako rýchly]]
 
[[fi:Makrillihai]]
 
[[sv:Makohaj]]
 
[[tr:Sivriburun camgöz]]
 
[[uk:Акула-мако]]
 
[[vi:Cá mập mako vây ngắn]]
 
[[zh:尖吻鲭鲨]]
 

Latest revision as of 21:23, 20 September 2021

Isurus oxyrinchus

Isurus oxyrinchus

Shortfin Mako (Isurus oxyrinchus)

Where found: The shortfin mako inhabits offshore temperate and tropical seas worldwide. The closely related longfin mako shark, Isurus paucus, is found in the Gulf Stream or warmer offshore waters.

Description: The 'Shortfin Mako Shark (Isurus oxyrinchus—meaning "sharp nose") is a large mackerel shark. It is commonly referred to as the mako shark together with the longfin mako shark (Isurus paucus). The Shortfin Mako is a fairly large species of shark. An average adult specimen will measure around 3.2 meters in length and weigh from 60-135 kg. Females are larger than males. The largest "mako" taken (not verified between the two species) on hook-and-line was 505.8 kg. The Shortfin Mako is cylindrical in shape, with a vertically-elongated tail that assists its highly hydrodynamic lifestyle. The Mako is in fact the fastest shark of all. This species' color is brilliant metallic blue dorsally and white ventrally, although coloration varies as the shark ages and increases in size. The line of demarcation between blue and white on the body is distinct. The underside of the snout and the area around the mouth are white. Larger specimens tend to possess darker color that extends onto parts of the body that are white in smaller individuals. The juvenile mako differs in that it has a clear blackish stain on the tip of the snout. The Longfin mako shark very much resembles the Shortfin, but has larger pectoral fins, dark rather than pale coloration around the mouth and larger eyes. The presence of only one lateral keel on the tail and the lack of lateral cusps on the teeth distinguish the makos from the closely related porbeagle sharks of the genus Lamna. Mako surprises diver