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Shortfin mako shark
The shortfin mako shark (/ˈmɑːkoʊˌ ˈmeɪ-/; Māori: /ˈmaːko/; Isurus oxyrinchus), also known as the shortfin mako, blue pointer, or bonito shark, is a species of large mackerel shark. It is commonly referred to as the mako shark, as is the longfin mako shark (Isurus paucus). The fastest known shark species, able to reach speeds of 74 km/h (46 mph) in bursts, the shortfin mako can attain sizes of more than 4 m (13 ft) in length and weigh over 570 kg (1,260 lb). The species is classified as Endangered by the IUCN.
"Mako" comes from the Māori language, meaning either the shark or a shark tooth. Following the Māori language, "mako" in English is both singular and plural. The word may have originated in a dialectal variation, as it is similar to the common words for shark in a number of Polynesian languages—makō in the Kāi Tahu Māori dialect, mangō in other Māori dialects, mago in Samoan, ma'o in Tahitian, and mano in Hawaiian. The first written usage is in Lee and Kendall's Grammar and vocabulary of the language of New Zealand (1820), which simply states, "Máko; A certain fish". Richard Taylor's A leaf from the natural history of New Zealand (1848) is more elaborate: "Mako, the shark which has the tooth so highly prized by the Maoris".
In 1809, Constantine Rafinesque gave the shortfin mako the scientific name Isurus oxyrinchus: the generic name Isurus is derived from a combination of the Ancient Greek words ίσος (ísos), meaning "equal," and ουρά (ourá), meaning "tail," in reference to the lobes of the caudal fin being of approximately equal length (in actuality the upper is slightly longer); and oxyrinchus from a combination of οξύς (oxýs), meaning "sharp" or "pointed," and ρύγχος (rýnchos), meaning "snout," in reference to the animal's pointed snout.
The shortfin mako shark is one of two extant species in the genus Isurus along with I. paucus, and one of five extant species in the family Lamnidae, along with the great white shark, the porbeagle, and the salmon shark.
Fossil teeth of the shortfin mako are known as far back as the Late Oligocene of Germany. Afterwards, they become more widespread in younger geologic formations throughout Europe, the United States, Japan, Chile, and Africa. Fossil teeth of the extinct species †Isurus desori (Agassiz, 1843) closely resemble those of I. oxyrinchus, and whether it is synonymous with I. oxyrinchus remains uncertain.
The shortfin mako is a fairly large species of shark. Growth rates appear to be somewhat accelerated in comparison to other species in the lamnid family. A typical adult specimen measures around 2.5 to 3.2 m (8.2 to 10.5 ft) in length and weighs 60–140 kg (130–310 lb). The species is sexually dimorphic, with females typically larger than males. Large specimens are known, with a few large, mature females exceeding a length of 3.8 m (12 ft) and a weight of 550 kg (1,210 lb). The largest taken on hook-and-line was 600 kg (1,300 lb), caught off the coast of California on June 3, 2013, and the longest verified length was 4.45 m (14.6 ft) caught off the Mediterranean coast of France in September 1973. A specimen caught off the coast of Italy and examined in an Italian fish market in 1881 was reported to weigh an extraordinary 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) at a length of 4 m (13 ft). Yet another fish was caught off Marmaris, Turkey in the late 1950s at an estimated size of between 5.7 and 6.19 m (18.7 and 20.3 ft), which would make it the largest known specimen of the species. However, this estimate was created using photos of the shark and not at the time of capture and therefore must be taken with reasonable caution. The authors did not estimate a weight for this specimen.
The shortfin mako shark is fusiform in shape, with blunt triangular dorsal and pectoral fins and a vertically elongated caudal fin with two lobes of roughly equal size. A single, highly pronounced caudal keel runs laterally along the base of the tail. This species exhibits countershading, with brilliant metallic blue coloration dorsally and white ventrally. The line of demarcation between blue and white on the body is distinct. The underside of the snout and the area around the mouth are typically white, though larger specimens tend to possess darker coloration that extends onto parts of the body that would be white in smaller individuals. The juvenile mako differs in that it has a clear, blackish stain on the tip of the snout. A unique color form, known as the "marrajo criollo," possesses dusky mottling that extends down the snout and around the mouth and is thought to be endemic to the waters of the Azores.
The shortfin mako shark bears a strong resemblance to the closely related longfin mako shark, but the latter species possesses considerably larger pectoral fins, darker coloration around the mouth, and larger eyes. The presence of only one lateral keel on the tail and the lack of lateral cusps on the teeth can be used to distinguish the mako from the closely related porbeagle sharks of the genus Lamna. The shortfin mako shark is also credited as being the fastest shark in the ocean, reaching moving speeds of 50 km/h (31 mph) with bursts up to 74 km/h (46 mph).
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Shortfin mako shark AI simulator
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Shortfin mako shark
The shortfin mako shark (/ˈmɑːkoʊˌ ˈmeɪ-/; Māori: /ˈmaːko/; Isurus oxyrinchus), also known as the shortfin mako, blue pointer, or bonito shark, is a species of large mackerel shark. It is commonly referred to as the mako shark, as is the longfin mako shark (Isurus paucus). The fastest known shark species, able to reach speeds of 74 km/h (46 mph) in bursts, the shortfin mako can attain sizes of more than 4 m (13 ft) in length and weigh over 570 kg (1,260 lb). The species is classified as Endangered by the IUCN.
"Mako" comes from the Māori language, meaning either the shark or a shark tooth. Following the Māori language, "mako" in English is both singular and plural. The word may have originated in a dialectal variation, as it is similar to the common words for shark in a number of Polynesian languages—makō in the Kāi Tahu Māori dialect, mangō in other Māori dialects, mago in Samoan, ma'o in Tahitian, and mano in Hawaiian. The first written usage is in Lee and Kendall's Grammar and vocabulary of the language of New Zealand (1820), which simply states, "Máko; A certain fish". Richard Taylor's A leaf from the natural history of New Zealand (1848) is more elaborate: "Mako, the shark which has the tooth so highly prized by the Maoris".
In 1809, Constantine Rafinesque gave the shortfin mako the scientific name Isurus oxyrinchus: the generic name Isurus is derived from a combination of the Ancient Greek words ίσος (ísos), meaning "equal," and ουρά (ourá), meaning "tail," in reference to the lobes of the caudal fin being of approximately equal length (in actuality the upper is slightly longer); and oxyrinchus from a combination of οξύς (oxýs), meaning "sharp" or "pointed," and ρύγχος (rýnchos), meaning "snout," in reference to the animal's pointed snout.
The shortfin mako shark is one of two extant species in the genus Isurus along with I. paucus, and one of five extant species in the family Lamnidae, along with the great white shark, the porbeagle, and the salmon shark.
Fossil teeth of the shortfin mako are known as far back as the Late Oligocene of Germany. Afterwards, they become more widespread in younger geologic formations throughout Europe, the United States, Japan, Chile, and Africa. Fossil teeth of the extinct species †Isurus desori (Agassiz, 1843) closely resemble those of I. oxyrinchus, and whether it is synonymous with I. oxyrinchus remains uncertain.
The shortfin mako is a fairly large species of shark. Growth rates appear to be somewhat accelerated in comparison to other species in the lamnid family. A typical adult specimen measures around 2.5 to 3.2 m (8.2 to 10.5 ft) in length and weighs 60–140 kg (130–310 lb). The species is sexually dimorphic, with females typically larger than males. Large specimens are known, with a few large, mature females exceeding a length of 3.8 m (12 ft) and a weight of 550 kg (1,210 lb). The largest taken on hook-and-line was 600 kg (1,300 lb), caught off the coast of California on June 3, 2013, and the longest verified length was 4.45 m (14.6 ft) caught off the Mediterranean coast of France in September 1973. A specimen caught off the coast of Italy and examined in an Italian fish market in 1881 was reported to weigh an extraordinary 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) at a length of 4 m (13 ft). Yet another fish was caught off Marmaris, Turkey in the late 1950s at an estimated size of between 5.7 and 6.19 m (18.7 and 20.3 ft), which would make it the largest known specimen of the species. However, this estimate was created using photos of the shark and not at the time of capture and therefore must be taken with reasonable caution. The authors did not estimate a weight for this specimen.
The shortfin mako shark is fusiform in shape, with blunt triangular dorsal and pectoral fins and a vertically elongated caudal fin with two lobes of roughly equal size. A single, highly pronounced caudal keel runs laterally along the base of the tail. This species exhibits countershading, with brilliant metallic blue coloration dorsally and white ventrally. The line of demarcation between blue and white on the body is distinct. The underside of the snout and the area around the mouth are typically white, though larger specimens tend to possess darker coloration that extends onto parts of the body that would be white in smaller individuals. The juvenile mako differs in that it has a clear, blackish stain on the tip of the snout. A unique color form, known as the "marrajo criollo," possesses dusky mottling that extends down the snout and around the mouth and is thought to be endemic to the waters of the Azores.
The shortfin mako shark bears a strong resemblance to the closely related longfin mako shark, but the latter species possesses considerably larger pectoral fins, darker coloration around the mouth, and larger eyes. The presence of only one lateral keel on the tail and the lack of lateral cusps on the teeth can be used to distinguish the mako from the closely related porbeagle sharks of the genus Lamna. The shortfin mako shark is also credited as being the fastest shark in the ocean, reaching moving speeds of 50 km/h (31 mph) with bursts up to 74 km/h (46 mph).