Fact Sheet

Appearance:
Slender body, very hydrodynamic with a long and conical snout. Relatively small pectoral fins. Large first dorsal fin, minute second one. Crescendic caudal fin. Strong caudal fin on peduncle without secondary keels.

Coloration:
Metallic blue coloration with white ventral surface.

Distribution:
Wide distribution in tropical and temperate waters, rarely found in waters below temperatures of 16°C. Western Atlantic: Gulf of Maine to southern Brazil, Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas and Caribbean. Eastern Atlantic: Norway, British Isles, Mediterranean to Ivory Coast, Ghana, and South Africa. Indo-Western Pacific: Red Sea to Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, New Caledonia, Korea, Japan. Central Pacific: Aleutian Islands to Society Islands, Hawaiian Islands. Eastern Pacific: Washington to central Chile.

Biology:
Makos prefer epipelagic and littoral waters from the surface down to at least 150m. They have the tendency to follow warm water currents in their most northern and southern parts of their range during summer months. Probably the fastest shark species of all. When caught often leaps several times out of the water.

Feeding:
Eats primarly fish such as mackerels, tunas, bonitos, anchovies, herrings, grunts, swordfishes, and even other sharks (e.g. blue sharks, requiem sharks, hammerheads). The very large animals develop very broad, more flattened and triangular upper teeth, probably used to dismember larger prey. This impossible for smaller makos that possess more bladelike teeth.

Size:
Average size between 180cm and 250cm, maximum total length about 400cm, reaching 570kg.

Reproduction:
Aplacental viviparity (ovoviviparity), embryos feed on eggs (oophagous). 8 to 16 pups per litter that show a fast growth rate. Size at birth about 70cm. Birth takes places in open water. Males reach sexual maturity at a size of approximately 200cm and 80kg to 100kg, females at approximately 280cm and about 200kg.

Similar species:
Can be mistaken for the Porbeagle ( Lamna nasus ) that however possesses 2 lateral keels on the peduncle and a conspicuously white colored free rear end of the first dorsal fin. Furthermore, the general appearance of porbeagles is less hydrodynamic. As opposed to the White shark ( Carcharodon carcharias ) , Makos have no dark spot at the free rear end of the pectoral fins.

Endangerment:
Endangered. Makos are primarily fished in the Pacific.