Isurus Oxyrinchus

• Isurus oxyrinchus


  Shortfin Mako
• CONSERVATION STATUS: ENDANGERED
• Taxonomic classification


  • Genus: Isurus
  • Species: oxyrinchus
  • Family: Lamnidae
  • Suborder:
  • Order: Lamniformes
  • Subclass:
  • Class: Chondrichthyes
  • Subphylum: Gnathostomata
  • Phylum: Chordata
  • Kingdom: Animalia
• Prey


  • Primarily bony fishes (including large tunas)
  • Cephalopods
  • Other sharks
  • Small marine mammals
  • Sea turtles
  • Scavenge carcasses
• Identification


  • Lunate tail, with similar sized lobes
  • Single lateral keel at base of tail
  • Back is a deep blue colour which fades to a white underside
  • Underside of snout is white (Longfin Mako sharks area under snout is dusky or blue-black)
  • Snout is sharp and pointed
  • First dorsal fin starts behind free tip of pectoral fin
  • Teeth are long, narrow, and curved inwards
  • No interdorsal ridge
  • Snout is conical/pointed
• Predators


  • Adults have no known natural predators
  • Juveniles are likely predated on by other sharks and perhaps cannibalistic adults
• Hunting Strategy

  • Attacks and bites off the tail of its prey to ensure it can't swim away
  • Preys on some of the fastest fish in the ocean
  • Body is streamlined and built for speed, with a missile shaped body to aid in propelling the shark through the water
• Habitat


  • Pelagic species, habitat ranges widely in the upper zones of the oceans
  • Juveniles are common in more coastal waters, around the low-tide line to the edge of continental shelf
  • Adults are primarily found offshore in more open oceanic environments
• The shortfin mako lives in the open ocean, and are known to be extremely migratory
• Reproduction

  • Mate through internal fertilization
  • Developing young are intra-uteral, cannibals consume lesser developed siblings (oophagy)
  • Mother will provide the unborn pups with unfertilized eggs to consume
  • Females usually become sexually mature at around 17-19 years
  • Developing embryos feed on unfertilized eggs in the uterus
  • Gestation period of 15-18 months
  • Average litter size is 12, but up to 30 have been reported
  • Litter size can be varied from 4 to 30 increased with maternal size
  • Reproductive cycle is three years
• Threats to Conservation


  • Overfishing - Lack of prey (Bluefin Tuna)
  • Bycatch - Caught as accidental bycatch by industrial fisheries
• Migration


  1. Found in South Australian shelf and oceanic water during the year

  2. Sometimes can be found in reefs in southern Spencer Gulf and migrate between: South Australia and Western Australian waters

  3. Females theorised to migrate into San Diego's waters to birth pups

  4. During spring to autumn, pups and young 1-2 year old sharks can be found a few miles out off the coast of San Diego
• Sexual Dimorphism


  • Females are larger than males
  • Claspers are used for reproduction and resemble a pair of extra rolled up fins
• Size/Age


  • Max length is 12 feet
  • Reach maturity around 18 years (9 feet) for females, 8 years (6 feet) for males
  • Estimated to live up to 30 years
• Behaviour


  • Reaches top speeds of 74 kilometre per hour
  • Regarded as the fastest shark, and one of the fastest fishes on the planet
  • Known for its ability to leap from the water and has been observed jumping to extreme heights out of the water during hunting
  • Mackerel shark, meaning they are warm-blooded
  • Have specialized blood vessels that allow them to keep their body temperatures higher than the surrounding water (counter-current heat exchange)
• Distribution


  • Found in tropical and temperate waters throughout the world's oceans
  • In North America, ranges from California to Chile in the Pacific, and from the Grand Banks, Canada to Argentina in the Atlantic, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea
  • In the Eastern Atlantic, ranges from Norway to South Africa, including the Mediterranean and is found throughout the Indian Ocean from South Africa to Australia
  • In the western Pacific, it ranges from Japan to New Zealand
  • In the Central Pacific it occurs from the Aleutian Islands to the Society Islands