Isurus oxyrinchus
shortfin mako

Tropical and temperate seas. Atlantic Ocean from Cape Cod to Argentina, St. Helena to Scotland and SW Norway, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Pacific Ocean: Columbia River to Chile, including Gulf of California.

Surface of open seas, often near shore.

Mako sharks reach lengths of about 10-13 feet. In color, when seen in the water, makos appear to have a cobalt blue back. Out of the water, the back is a deep blue-grey color. The belly is snow white.

They are powerful, active, and rapid swimming sharks, famous for leaping out of the water when hooked or in pursuit of prey.

Eat scombrids, cluepeids, other small fish, and cephalopods. Larger makos may eat swordfish. Teleosts constitute much of the diet, with bluefish being the majority. Makos tend to eat schooling fishes, such as mackerels and herrings. Bluefish make up the major inshore food item, while offshore, cephalopods become more important. Males and females appear to consume roughly the same volume of food.

Pelagic sharks are often opportunistic feeders, it is therefore not unusual for them to eat items of little or no nutritive value.

May greatly deplete the quantities of bluefish and other schooling fish in some areas.

Its rapid growth rate could make it a good candidate for commercial fishery; however, its low fecundity would limit the fishery's size.

This species has been evaluated by IUCN and found to be at lower risk, but nearly threatened.

Growth of the shortfin mako is rapid in comparison to other pelagic sharks. It grows almost twice as fast as the porbeagle (Lamna nasus). Isurus oxyrinchus is replaced by Isurus glaucus in the Indo-Pacific.