Last December we encountered a mako shark swimming at the surface, I had seen a couple before, but not like this. We stopped the motor and watched it swim around our boat, coming back and forth slowly, very relaxed, and curious. It looked like it had a malformation on its spine, which probably explains its behavior.
There are two species of mako shark: longfin mako (Isurus paucus) and shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus). This one is a shortfin mako, known for 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). They are a very active species, often seen breaching the water surface when feeding. This is all thanks to a special circulatory system that allows them to heat their blood, giving them an advantage over their cold-blooded prey.
They have a very hydrodynamic shape, with a pointed snout, a triangular dorsal fin, and a lunate caudal fin. They are dark metallic blue on top and silvery white below, with a distinct color break on the side. Their eyes are very characteristic: big and completely black. Their teeth are long and sharp, and the ones of the lower jaw are visible even when the jaw is closed, giving them a menacing appearance. Shortfin makos are found in tropical and temperate waters throughout the world’s oceans. They are a pelagic species, primarily resident in oceanic waters., but found in coastal waters too.
Like many other sharks, shortfin makos are slow-growing species with males reaching maturity at 7-9 years of age and females not before 18. Their late sexual maturity and long reproductive cycles with long gestation periods, make them highly vulnerable to overfishing.
Shortfin makos are currently considered Endangered by the IUCN Red List. They are targetted by commercial and sport fishing and fished as by-catch too. Like with most shark species, their overharvesting has gone far unquestioned, as we have considered them dangerous, “coldblooded killers”. Since there have been records, shortfin makos have been implicated in 10 unprovoked attacks on humans, one of which resulted in a fatality. I went in the water and snorkeled with this mako, it was cautious and didn’t approach me at all. As opposed to what I believed when I was little, being in the water with a shark doesn’t mean getting eaten by it. Part of the change needed to protect our sharks comes from changing our perception: we need sharks, a healthy ocean needs sharks swimming in it, they are part of balanced ecosystems. We learned to fear sharks, now we must learn to care for them.