NEFSC Apex Predators Program
Shortfin mako shark
SHORTFIN MAKO
Isurus oxyrinchus
SIZE
To about 13 ft (4 m).
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
- Snout conical, pointed
- Caudal fin lunate with single keel on caudal peduncle
- Color deep blue above; light metallic blue sides; snow-white below, including underside of snout and area around mouth
- Teeth long, bladelike, smooth-edged, protruding from mouth
DISTRIBUTION
Newfoundland, Canada, to Brazil, including Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Common in U.S. Northeast.
HABITAT
Offshore from surface to at least 500 ft (152 m); generally in waters >61°F (16°C).
SIMILAR SPECIES
Porbeagle has secondary keels on caudal fin, teeth with lateral cusplets; prefers colder water. Longfin mako has larger eyes, longer pectoral fins, dusky or blue-black underside of snout and area around mouth. Blue shark lacks lunate caudal fin, caudal keels, sharply pointed snout. White shark has triangular teeth with serrated edges, blunter snout.
MORE INFORMATION
Text descriptions taken from:
Guide to Sharks, Tunas, & Billfishes
of the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico
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(File Modified Aug. 08 2017)
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