Isurus oxyrinchus
Blue Pointer, Short-nosed Mackeral Shark
Mako’s have a streamlined, well-proportioned body and a conical pointed snout. The Longfin Mako has a blunter snout and a larger eye than the Shortfin and much longer pectoral fins. There is a large, prominent, flattened keel on either side of the caudal peduncle. It can be easily distinguished from all other sharks by its teeth, which are like curved daggers with no cusps at the base or serrations along the razor shark edges. The front surface is flat and the teeth are curved inward. The back of the Shortfin Mako is a brilliant blue-gray or cobalt blue and the sides are light blue, changing to snowy white on the belly including the lower jaw.
Makos eat schooling fish, including tuna, herring, mackerel, swordfish, and porpoise. They are opportunistic feeders, eating just about anything.
Mako sharks inhabit oceanic tropical and warm, temperate waters in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Caribbean. Off the East Coast, the Atlantic mako is most abundant in warmer areas, but moves northward to southern New England in the summer.
Short-finned Makos are found world-wide in temperate and tropical seas. Makos range from the surface to relatively deep waters. They are pelagic oceanic swimmers, but are occasionally found inshore. In warm, tropical oceans, they swim deep below the surfa
Mako can reach 12 feet and 1,000 pounds, but more are 5-8 feet long.
1221 pounds, 0 ounces (IGFA)