Shortfin mako

📖 Overview

Oceanic, but sometimes found close inshore . Usually in surface waters , down to about 150 m . Coastal, epipelagic at 1->500 m . Isotope analysis has shown that shortfin mako is the highest level fish predator in oceanic waters off eastern Australia . Adults feed on bony fishes, other sharks , cephalopods; larger individuals may feed on larger prey such as billfish and small cetaceans . Ovoviviparous, embryos feeding on yolk sac and other ova produced by the mother . With 4-16 young of about 60-70 cm long . Gestation period lasts 15-18 months, spawning cycle is every 3 years. Some authors have erroneously assumed that two age rings are deposited per year by this species, thus underestimating longevity, age at maturity, and resilience . These data have been removed and replaced by recent, verified estimates. Tagging in New Zealand indicates seasonal migrations . The presence of genetic differentiation in mitochondrial DNA across global populations suggests dispersal may be male-biased, and that females may have natal site-fidelity. Shortfin mako has been shown to have a marked sexually segregated population structure . Shortfin mako is probably the fastest of all sharks and can leap out of the water when hooked . Potentially dangerous and responsible for unprovoked attacks on swimmers and boats . Utilized fresh, dried or salted, smoked and frozen; eaten broiled and baked . Valued for its fine quality meat as well as its fins and skin . Oil is extracted for vitamins and fins for shark-fin soup . Jaws and teeth are also sold as ornaments and trophies . by Kabasakal & de Maddalena, 2011 reported a historical record of a larger specimen, caught in the Mediterranean Sea off Turkey, about 585 cm (TL estimated from photographs) . Maximum depth from Ref. 125614.

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Anal spines: 0. A large, spindle-shaped shark with large black eyes, a sharp snout, and large, narrow, hooked teeth with smooth edges . Caudal fin lunate, lower lobe strongly developed . Dark blue above, white below . Tiny second dorsal and anal fins .: fusiform / normal.

🌀 Behaviour

The shortfin mako is a fast, athletic species and is highly sought after as a game fish, particularly notable for its tendency to leap high into the air when hooked. Some cases of shortfin mako jumping into a boat after having been hooked have been reported.

🦐 Diet

The shortfin mako shark primarily feeds upon squid (such as Loligo pealeii and Illex illecebrosus), other cephalopods, and bony fish including bluefish, mackerel, herring, tuna, bonito, saury, and billfish, but may also eat other sharks (such as blue and grey reef), porpoises, dolphins, sea turtles, seabirds, and crustaceans. They hunt by lunging vertically up and tearing off chunks of their preys' flanks and fins. Mako swim below their prey, so they can see what is above and have a high probability of reaching prey before it notices them. In Ganzirri and Isola Lipari, Sicily, shortfin mako have been found with amputated swordfish bills impaled into their head and gills, suggesting swordfish may sometimes fight back and seriously injure or even kill them. In addition, this location, and the late spring and early summer timing, corresponding to the swordfish's spawning cycle, suggests they hunt while the swordfish are most vulnerable, typical of many predators. Shortfin mako sharks consume 3% of their weight each day and take about 1.5–2.0 days to digest an average-sized meal. By comparison, the sandbar shark, an inactive species, 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 67–328 cm (26–129 in) suggests mako from Cape Hatteras to the Grand Banks prefer bluefish, constituting 77.5% of their diet by volume. The average capacity of the stomach was 10% of the total weight. Shortfin mako sharks consumed 4.3% to 14.5% of the available bluefish between Cape Hatteras and Georges Bank. Shortfin mako sharks over 3 m (9.8 ft) have interior teeth considerably wider and flatter than smaller mako, which enables them to prey effectively upon larger prey such as dolphins, billfish, and other sharks. An amateur videotape, taken in Pacific waters, shows a moribund pantropical spotted dolphin whose tail was almost completely severed being circled by a shortfin mako.

🥚 Reproduction

Exhibit ovoviparity (aplacental viviparity), with embryos feeding on other ova produced by the mother (oophagy) after the yolk sac is absorbed . With up to 18 young in a litter . Gives birth to litters of 4-25 (usually 10-18) pups after a gestation period of 15-18 months; reproduces every 3 years. Size at birth between 60 and 70 cm . Distinct pairing with embrace .

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; pelagic-oceanic; oceanodromous ; depth range 0 - 888 m , usually 100 - 150 m . Subtropical; 16°C - ? ; 65°N - 54°S, 180°W - 180°E South Africa, including the Mediterranean.

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🐠 Related Species

🔍 Similar Species

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