View source for Isurus

{{italictitle}}
{{automatic taxobox
 | fossil_range = {{fossil range|99.7|0|[[Cretaceous]] - recent}}<ref>{{cite journal
 |last=Sepkoski 
 |first=Jack 
 |title=A compendium of fossil marine animal genera (Chondrichthyes entry) 
 |journal=Bulletins of American Paleontology 
 |volume=364 
 |page=560 
 |date=2002 
 |url=http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=575&rank=class 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930154826/http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=575&rank=class 
 |archivedate=2011-09-30 
}}</ref>
 | image = Shortfin mako swfsc.jpg
 | image_caption = [[Shortfin mako shark]] (''I. oxyrinchus'')
 | image2 = Isurus paucus.jpg
 | image2_caption = [[Longfin mako shark]] (''I. paucus'')
 | taxon = Isurus
 | authority = [[Constantine Samuel Rafinesque|Rafinesque]], 1810
 | type_species = [[Shortfin mako shark|''Isurus oxyrinchus'']]
 | type_species_authority = Rafinesque, 1810
 | synonyms = 
*''Isuropsis'' <small>Gill, 1862</small>
*''Lamiostoma'' <small>Glikman, 1964</small>
*''Oxyrhina'' <small>Agassiz, 1838</small>
*''Oxyrrhina'' <small>Bonaparte, 1846</small>
*''Plectrostoma'' <small>Gistel, 1848</small>}}

'''''Isurus''''', commonly known as the '''mako sharks''', is a [[genus]] of fast-swimming sharks in the family [[Lamnidae]]. They are in fact the fastest-swimming shark.<ref>''Shark'': BBC tv, first instalment. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02n7s0d]</ref> This is in the same [[family (biology)|family]] as the [[great white shark]]. ''Isurus'' ranges in length from {{convert|2.5|to|4.5|m|ft|0}}, and can grow to about {{convert|800|kg|-1}}. The genus has a long fossil history.<ref>{{cite journal| last = Sepkoski| first = Jack| title = A compendium of fossil marine animal genera (Chondrichthyes entry)| journal = Bulletins of American Paleontology| volume = 364| page = 560| date = 2002| url = http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=575&rank=class| accessdate = 2008-01-09| archive-date = 2012-05-10| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120510170834/http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=575&rank=class| url-status = dead}}</ref>

There are two living [[species]] in this genus: the common shortfin mako shark and the rare longfin mako shark.
== Species ==

== Shortfin mako shark ==
The shortfin mako shark, as the name suggests, has smaller [[pectoral fin]]s to the Longfin mako shark. The shortfin mako shark also has smaller [[eye]]s. It is smaller than the Longfin mako shark, reaching a maximum length of 3.8 metres, but weighs more, with the heaviest shortfin mako shark found weighing 506 kg (1116 pounds).<ref name="FLMNH"/> 

The shortfin mako has a wide distribution, being found in [[tropical]] and [[temperate]] waters throughout the world's [[ocean]]s. It is a true [[pelagic zone|pelagic]] [[species]], but it inhabits the cooler, deeper water of tropical regions. The shortfin mako shark has been recorded at depths of up to 740 metres. <ref name="FLMNH"/> 

The shortfin mako is the fastest species of shark known, reaching speeds of up to 32 km/h (20 mph), <ref name="FLMNH"> {{Cite web|title=FLMNH Ichthyology Department|url=http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/|work=flmnh.ufl.edu|accessdate=11 July 2013}} </ref> and with bursts of up to {{convert|74|km/h|mph}}.<ref name=Martin>{{cite web|url=http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/shark_profiles/i_oxyrinchus.htm|title=Biology of the Shortfin Mako|publisher=ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research|accessdate=2006-08-12|author=R. Aidan Martin}}</ref> Its great speed helps it to capture other fast swimming [[animal]]s on which it preys. The shortfin mako shark feeds on pelagic fish such as [[swordfish]], [[tuna]]s, and other [[shark]]s, as well as [[squid]]. <ref name="FLMNH"/>  The shortfin mako holds the record for the longest distance travel: about {{convert|2130|km}} in 37 days. This is an average of about {{convert|58|km}} per day.<ref name="FLMNH"/> 

Shortfin mako often leap in sets of three. The third leap is usually the highest. It can reach as high as {{convert|5|-|6|m}} above the surface.<ref name=Martin/> This high-leaping fish is a highly sought-after [[game fish]] worldwide. There are cases when an angry shortfin jumped into a boat after it was hooked.<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Pattern of Islands {{!}} NZETC|url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-GriPatt.html|access-date=2021-06-04|website=nzetc.victoria.ac.nz}}</ref>
== Longfin mako shark ==
The longfin mako shark has longer [[pectoral fin]]s and larger [[eye]]s than the shortfin shark. It is longer than the shortfin, reaching a maximum length of 4.2 metres. However, it weighs less than the shortfin, weighing up to only 70 kg (154 pounds).

The longfin mako is a [[pelagic zone|pelagic]] [[species]], and is found in the [[Indian Ocean|Indian]], [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]], and [[Atlantic Ocean]]. It is common in the western Atlantic and central Pacific, but elsewhere it is rare. It is thought to be a bottom-dwelling [[shark]], living in [[tropical]] and warm [[temperate]] waters, but this is uncertain.

Not a lot is known about the Longfin mako shark's feeding habits, but it is thought to feed on schooling [[fish]] and pelagic [[cephalopod]]s. <ref name="FLMNH"/>
== Fossil Species ==
The genus ''Isurus'' inclued extinct species as the ''[[Isurus retroflexus|I. retroflexus]]'' from example, a extinct mako shark. This genus inclued disputed species of ''[[Cosmopolitodus]]'', ''[[Macrorhizodus]]'' and ''[[Isurolamna]]'' species,<ref>{{cite book |url=https://ojs.sazu.si/folia_bio_geo/article/view/817/660 |title=Miocenski Ribji zobje iz Kamnoloma Plesko. |published=ojs.sazu.si}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.kahaku.go.jp/research/publication/monograph/dowload/56/monograph56.pdf |title=Paleozoic, Mesozoic and cenozoic Chondrichthyes from the Japanese Islands |published=National Museum of Nature ajd Science Monographs }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> but now is disputed. The genus ''Isurus'' emerged in [[Late Cretaceous]] epochs, from example the extinct species called as ''I. biconvexus'', he was found in [[Chile]], in [[South America]] and was been describied as [[extinct]] species of ''Oxyrhina'' genus.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.190269116 |tittle=Climate cooling and clade competition likely drove the decline of lamniform sharks |publisher=pnas.org}}</ref>
== References ==
{{reflist}}



[[Category:Sharks]]