Shortfin mako  (Isurus oxyrinchus)

Range

This is a wide-ranging shark found in tropical and temperate waters throughout the world’s oceans (3). In the Western Atlantic, the species occurs from the Gulf of Maine to southern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean (2) (5). In the Eastern Atlantic, the distribution ranges from Norway, down past the British Isles, the Mediterranean, the Ivory Coast and Ghana to South Africa (2) (5). In the Indo-Pacific, this shark is found from East Africa and the Red Sea to Hawaii, including waters around Pakistan, India, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand (2) (5). In the Eastern Pacific, the range includes waters south of the Aleutian Islands and from Southern California, USA, to Chile (2).

View a distribution map for this species at UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

Habitat

The shortfin mako is usually pelagic, but can sometimes be found close inshore. Although normally occupying surface waters down to around 150 metres, this shark has been recorded at depths of up to 740 metres (2). There is evidence to suggest that this species migrates seasonally to warmer waters (3).

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