Longfin mako

© Santiago Montealegre-Quijano

Elusive. Large (maximum TL of 4.17 m). Slender. The longfin mako (Isurus paucus).

So-called sluggish when compared to the shortfin mako, these animals are slender in all body aspects, including elongated fins for better hydrodynamics. Still, although "slow," they are capable of short bursts of speed when pursuing prey (similar to that of the shortfin mako).

Despite having a wide range (all tropical and warm waters worldwide), they are a pretty secretive species. Not much is known about longfin mako shark; like shortfin makos, they are blue/blackish in color, they have rete-mirable, their young practice oophagy and are viviparous with yolk-sac. Their gestation period, birthing sites and mating locations are unknown.

They are classified as Vulnerable (VU) by the IUCN, as they could be caught as bycatch from longline fisheries for tuna and swordfish.

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what are your thoughts on the longfin mako?

glossary

• Bycatch: The part of a fishery’s catch that is made up of non-target species.
• ​Cosmopolitan: Worldwide distribution.
• Dorsal fin: Fin located on the back.
• Fecundity: The natural capability to produce offspring. 
• Gestation: The period in which a fetus develops, beginning with fertilization and ends at birth.
• IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.
• Teleost: Bony fishes.
• Oophagy: Sometimes called "oviphagy;" when developing embryos feed on unfertilized eggs.
• Pectoral fins: Fins located behind the gills on either side.
• Pup: Give birth to baby sharks (pups).
• Pups: Baby sharks.
• Rete-mirable: Closely packed veins/arteries on either side of the shark that helps in conserving heat (especially in the stomach), making the shark warmer than the surrounding environment.
• Viviparous with yolk-sac: Also known as aplacental viviparous and previously known as ovoviviparous/ovoviviparity; it is the production of eggs that are fertilised and hatch inside the female shark but the embryos lack a placental connection to the oviduct or uterus and so do not feed off the mother.

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