Mako Shark

How to identify a Mako Shark

Makos 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 sharp 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. The longfin mako is also blue above with light blue sides, and is white below except for the jaw. In real life encounters, the mako’s colors are the most strikingly beautiful of all the mackerel sharks. After death the colors fade to grayish brown. Makos have been implicated in attacks on humans and are the undisputed leader in attacks on boats. A hooked mako will immediately unleash all its fury, reportedly leaping as high as 30 ft out of the water. It may roll, shake, dive, and charge the boat. It has also been known to bite the boat and occasionally to leap into it, causing severe injuries to the angler and wreaking havoc inside the boat.

Where to catch Mako Shark

Mako sharks are found worldwide in tropical and warm temperate seas. These solitary, pelagic, fast swimming species rarely come in close to shore. The shortfin mako, Isurus oxyrinchus, is most often encountered by anglers as it is more likely to move in-shore on occasion. The longfin mako, Isurus paucus, is a widely distributed offshore species considered rare in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, except along the coast of Cuba. The following list includes additional details on where to catch this fish: