They migrate, so can be found throughout the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.
They live in the upper part of the ocean (pelagic) where they hunt and roam.
They can reach 13 feet (3.8 meters) long and weigh up to 330 pounds(1450 kg). Females are larger than males. As their name implies, they have a relatively short dorsal and pectoral fins with rounded ends. They have black eyes, long gill slits, and a pointed snout. They are dark (slate-colored) on top (dorsally) and white underneath. They have shimmering, metallic blue sides.
They live in the upper part of the ocean (pelagic) where they hunt and roam. Young mako sharks are often found in coastal waters close to land, but as they become adults they roams further offshore. They can be aggressive predators. They will migrate throughout their range following warmer water, but they general travel alone.
They eat fish, ocean mammals (seals, etc.), and other sharks. They can hunt large fish, such as bluefish and swordfish.
Females don't begin to reproduce until they are about 18-19 years old. They carry their young for about 1.5 years (gestation) (sometimes longer) and only reproduce every 3 years. They produce live young (not eggs) that are already well developed and can be up to 2 feet long already at birth. This makes them ovoviviparous. This large size at birth helps protect them from predation. Females deliver up to 30 young, but more commonly fewer.
They can live 30 years. The IUCN lists this species as vulnerable, with a decreasing population.
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Chondrichthyes
Order Lamniformes
Family Lamnidae
Genus Isurus
Species I. oxyrinchus
