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Shortfin Mako
Isurus oxyrinchus Rafinesque, 1810
A Shortfin Mako Shark at the surface, 12 km off La Jolla, California, USA, July 2006. Photo © N. Wegner. View larger image.
A Shortfin Mako Shark at the surface, 12 km off La Jolla, California, USA, August 2005. Photo © N. Wegner. View larger image.
Above and below: A 1.1 m long Shortfin Mako Shark swimming around a baited trap at a depth of 2.5 m, Point Perpendicular, Jervis Bay, New South Wales, October 2005. Photo © L. Heagney, UNSW. View larger image.
A 1.75 m TL Shortfin Mako caught on long line at a depth between 30 m and 50 m, off the edge of the continental shelf off Fraser Island, Queensland, May 2002. Photo © D. Hazell. View larger image.
The Shortfin Mako has a pointed snout and long, slender teeth that protrude from the mouth. The second dorsal and anal fins are small and the caudal fin is lunate. There is a single keel on the caudal peduncle.
This species is blue above and white below.
It grows to about 4 m in length.
The Shortfin Mako is believed to be the fastest of all sharks. Like other lamnid sharks, it has a heat exchange circulatory system that enables the body to be warmer than the surrounding water and thus maintain a high level of activity. When hooked, the Shortfin Mako can make spectacular leaps out of the water.
Dietary items include mainly bony fishes and cephalopods. Large individuals over 3 m in length are known to take larger prey such as billfishes and small cetaceans.
The Shortfin Mako has been known to attack boats and injure fishers after being hooked. Despite being primarily an oceanic species, it is considered to be dangerous to people. It has been implicated in both fatal and nonfatal attacks on humans.
The species occurs primarily in tropical waters (above 16 degrees Centigrade), but is known from both tropical and temperate waters circumglobally. It is found in both oceanic and continental waters.
In Australia it is recorded from the marine waters of all States, but has not been caught in the Northern Territory.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
The Shortfin Mako has also been called the Blue Pointer, Mackerel Shark and Snapper Shark.
Related links
- View the Oophagous sharks page
- View the Sharks list
- White Shark fact sheet
- Shortfin Mako page at the Florida Museum of Natural History
Further reading
- Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
- Stevens, J.D. in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Last, P.R. & J.D. Stevens. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. CSIRO. Pp. 513.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
