Post by Life on Mar 22, 2023 19:44:03 GMT 5
The Shortfin Mako (Isurus oxyrinchus)
Classification
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Subphylum | Vertebrata |
| Class | Chondrichthyes |
| Order | Lamniformes |
| Family | Lamnidae |
| Genus | Isurus |
| Species | Isurus oxyrinchus |
| Niche | Macroraptorial |
| Habitat and maximum depth | Pelagic; Epipelagic; ~500 m (1600 ft) maximum stated depth |
| Temperature tolerance range | 17 - 22°C |
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General references
Australian Museum: australian.museum/learn/animals/fishes/shortfin-mako-isurus-oxyrinchus-rafinesque-1810/
Government of Canada: www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/profiles-profils/shortfinmako-requintaupebleu-atl-eng.html
NOAA Fisheries: www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/atlantic-shortfin-mako-shark
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Biology and Ecology
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Skin composition
Figure 1 from (Arunvinthan et al., 2021) for reference:
A schematic representation of scales on the short fin mako sharks and denticular structure of individual scales under bristled and non-bristled condition.
Citation: Arunvinthan, S., Raatan, V. S., Nadaraja Pillai, S., Pasha, A. A., Rahman, M. M., & A. Juhany, K. (2021). Aerodynamic characteristics of shark scale-based vortex generators upon symmetrical airfoil. Energies, 14(7), 1808.
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Photo from Ars Technica for reference:
Close-up image of shortfin mako shark scales, called denticles, each measuring about 0.2 millimeters in length.
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Flexible Scales Add to Speed of Shortfin Mako Shark
The shortfin mako shark is one of the fastest sharks around, perhaps because of the variation in size and flexibility of the teethlike scales embedded in its skin.
Amy Lang, an aerospace engineer from the University of Alabama, and colleagues found that flexible scales around the side of the shark allow it to swiftly change direction while maintaining a high speed.
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Age and growth
Reproduction
The reproductive method in the shortfin mako is aplacental viviparity with embryonic oophagy (Snelson et al., 2008), but there are relatively few records of pregnant females. Litters of 4–25 pups (average 12), which are about 70 cm TL at birth, are born after a gestation period of 15–18 months (Mollet et al., 2000, 2002). Litter size increases with maternal size (Mollet et al., 2000). The reproductive cycle appears to be 3 years. Parturition generally occurs from late winter to spring in both hemispheres, but may extend into summer (Duffy and Francis, 2001). On the basis of the majority of reports, nursery areas appear to be situated close to the coast.
Citation: Stevens, J. D. (2008). The biology and ecology of the shortfin mako shark, Isurus oxyrinchus. M. D. Camhi, E. K., Pikitch, & E. A. babcock (Eds.), Sharks of the open ocean: biology, fisheries and conservation (pp. 87-94). Blackwell Publishing.
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Largest individuals on record
While a study of 199 shortfin mako sharks showed an average total length of 171 cm (Kohler et al., 1996) this species can sometimes attain incredibly larger sizes. The largest shortfin mako reported to date worldwide was a female caught in the late 1950s in the Aegean Sea off Marmaris, Turkey, which was estimated at 585 cm TL with a 577-619 cm range (Kabasakal & De Maddalena, 2011). Other large specimens have been recorded in the Mediterranean area. A 445-cm-long specimen was caught off Six-Fours les-Plages, France, in September 1973 (Capapé, 1977). A 425-cm-long shortfin mako was caught off La Galite Island, Tunisia, on 24 September 1876, and its jaws are preserved in the Natural History Museum of Genoa, Italy (Doria & Gestro, 1877). Lawley (1881) reported a 4-metre-long specimen that weighed 1000 kg, which was observed in a warehouse of a fishmonger in Livorno and was caught off Piombino, Italy. A 400-cm long shortfin mako captured off Caska, Novalja, Croatia, on 13 May 1882 was reported by Brusina (1888). A 390-cm-long shortfin mako was caught on 30 November 1991 off Bagnara Calabra, Italy (Storai et al., 2001). Another 390-cm-long specimen, weighing 513 kg, was caught on 20 September 2000 off Punta Alice, Italy (Storai et al., 2001). A 390-cm-long female was caught on 26 July 2003 off Scaletta Zanclea, Italy, and another female, measuring 370 cm TL, was caught between Portopalo di Capo Passero and Marzamemi, Italy, on 22 June 2004 (Celona et al., 2004). A 380-cm-long female was caught in summer 2012, by a commercial purse-seiner operating in İskenderun Bay, eastern Levantine Sea (Kabasakal, 2015).
Taking into account these records, the estimated 500-cm TL female shortfin mako shark observed near Cabrera Grande is believed to be the largest of its species observed alive, and the second largest ever recorded worldwide.
Taking into account these records, the estimated 500-cm TL female shortfin mako shark observed near Cabrera Grande is believed to be the largest of its species observed alive, and the second largest ever recorded worldwide.
Citation: Lopez-Mirones, F., de Maddalena, A., & Van Buiten, R. S. (2020). On a huge Shortfin Mako Shark Isurus Oxyrinchus Rafinesque, 1810 (Chondrichthyes: Lamnidae) observed at Cabrera Grande, Balearic Islands, Spain. In Darovec, D. (Ed.), Annales: Series Historia Naturalis (pp. 25-30). Scientific and Research Center of the Republic of Slovenia.
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Bite force
Most Powerful Shark Bite Ever Recorded Measured by Scientists
A mako shark off the coast of New Zealand has delivered the most powerful bite of any shark ever physically measured, scientists say.
According to the Discovery Channel program Mako Nation, which aired on Thursday night as part of Shark Week, the bite was also the second most powerful of any animal on Earth.
Shark scientist Riley Elliott and underwater cameraman Andy Casagrande—the hosts of the show—recorded the record-breaking bite in the waters near Mayor Island (or Tuhua)—a dormant volcano around 20 miles off the country's northern coast and a mako shark hotspot.
According to the Discovery Channel program Mako Nation, which aired on Thursday night as part of Shark Week, the bite was also the second most powerful of any animal on Earth.
Shark scientist Riley Elliott and underwater cameraman Andy Casagrande—the hosts of the show—recorded the record-breaking bite in the waters near Mayor Island (or Tuhua)—a dormant volcano around 20 miles off the country's northern coast and a mako shark hotspot.
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Prey
Citation: Preti, A., Soykan, C. U., Dewar, H., Wells, R. D., Spear, N., & Kohin, S. (2012). Comparative feeding ecology of shortfin mako, blue and thresher sharks in the California Current. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 95, 127-146.
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Footage
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