LAST UPDATED: 01.07.2023

LAST UPDATED: 01.07.2023

SHORTFIN MAKO

SHORTFIN MAKO

Isurus oxyrinchus

Isurus oxyrinchus

The shortfin mako shark is a highly migratory shark found in all temperate and tropical ocean waters around the world¹. Like other members of the Lamnidae family, it is regionally endothermic (warm-blooded), allowing it to maintain high activity levels in cold waters.

With a top speed of 75 km/h, the mako shark is the fastest shark and one of the fastest fish in the world.

In Atlantic Canada and Quebec, it is sometimes confused with the white shark or the porbeagle shark.

¹ Jensen, C., L. Natanson, H.L. Pratt Jr, N.E. Kohler, and S.E. Campana. 2002. The reproductive biology of the porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus) in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Fishery Bulletin 100(4):727-738.

NAMES

NAMES

Scientific name: Isurus oxyrinchus

Common names: Shortfin mako, blue pointer, mackerel shark, blue dynamite.

Mi’kmaw names: Sabbede-mequ, siglati, tan booskekŭlooskăbāwit’, webetŭmâk’, wipitmeqw.

French common names: Requin-taupe bleu, requin mako.

Order – Lamniformes
Family – Lamnidae
Genus – Isurus
Species – I. oxyrinchus

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

• Average length of 2 to 3 metres.
• Metallic indigo blue above and white ventral side.
• Fusiform (spindle-shaped) body with a pointy snout and large black eyes.
• Second dorsal fin much smaller than first.
• Long, blade-shaped teeth that frequently protrude from the mouth even when closed; no cusplets like those of the porbeagle.
• Rare, seasonal presence in Atlantic Canada, including the eastern portion of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
• Absent from the St. Lawrence Estuary.

✚✚✚

2 to 3 m in Atlantic Canada and Québec

Teeth are large, triangular and serrated unlike any other shark species in the St. Lawrence.
✖
JAWS
Blade-shaped teeth without lateral cusplets, i.e. no projections on sides of teeth. Teeth always visible.
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TEETH
No white blotch at the rear base of the first dorsal fin (See porbeagle shark).
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1st DORSAL
Single keel on the caudal peduncle unlike the porbeagle shark which has two.
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CAUDAL KEEL
Posterior tip of inner margin of pectoral fin has a white marking known as a flash patch.
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FLASH PATCH
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DISTRIBUTION

DISTRIBUTION

The shortfin mako shark is seasonally present in much of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, but is not known to venture into the estuary. The duration of its summer migration to the St. Lawrence could be affected by warmer conditions resulting from climate change.

(BELOW) Provisional distribution of the shortfin mako shark, Isurus oxyrinchus, in the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Canada, based on research by the St. Lawrence Shark Observatory. Only selected cases are shown to illustrate the general range. This map is updated with new and historical data on an ongoing basis. Map does not include data from the U.S. except borderline cases. To submit additional sightings or captures, please contact us. Click on icons for observation details.

CONSERVATION STATUS

CONSERVATION STATUS

The shortfin mako shark is listed as an endangered species by COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada).

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In the North Atlantic, the white shark is seasonally present in all of the Maritime provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Québec, including the St. Lawrence.

Shark and seal in New France
by Louis Nicolas circa 1690.

Meet the world's most maligned sea creature, the white shark.

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The Canadian Shark Attack Registry (CSAR) is the first database of all documented human encounters with sharks that have resulted in injury or death in Canada.

Shark Attacks in Canada
What you need to know.

In the North Atlantic, the white shark is seasonally present in all of the Maritime provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Québec, including the St. Lawrence.

Shark and seal in New France
by Louis Nicolas circa 1690.

Meet the world's most maligned sea creature, the white shark.

Read

Read

Shark fins banned in Canada? Not really.

In the North Atlantic, the white shark is seasonally present in all of the Maritime provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Québec, including the St. Lawrence.

The Canadian Shark Attack Registry is the first database of all documented human encounters with sharks that have resulted in injury or death in Canada.

Shark Attacks in Canada
What you need to know.

Read

Misrepresented and misunderstood, sharks play a critical role in North Atlantic ecosystems, but they are under increasing threat due to their unfair reputation, pollution, and a lack of public awareness. Please donate to help us study and protect the sharks of the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Canada before it’s too late.Donations to ORS, an all-volunteer charitable not-for-profit organisation, are tax deductible in Canada. Canada Revenue Agency #834462913RR0001

DONATE

“Fear and indifference bite deeper than any shark.”— Jeffrey Gallant, St. Lawrence Shark ObservatoryTax deductible in Canada
CRA #834462913RR0001DONATE
Misrepresented and misunderstood, sharks play a critical role in North Atlantic ecosystems, but they are under increasing threat due to their unfair reputation, pollution, and a lack of public awareness. Please donate to help us study and protect the sharks of the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Canada before it’s too late.Donations to ORS, an all-volunteer charitable not-for-profit organisation, are tax deductible in Canada. Canada Revenue Agency #834462913RR0001

DONATE

“Fear and indifference bite deeper than any shark.”— Jeffrey Gallant, St. Lawrence Shark ObservatoryTax deductible in Canada
CRA #834462913RR0001DONATE