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AtlanticPacificIndian

Shortfin Mako

Isurus oxyrinchus

Image credit: Spotty11222 · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Source

Content context

BCDE canonical profile

Global species information is maintained separately from regional and consumer-specific context.

Shortfin Makos are streamlined, regionally endothermic predators that travel long distances through national and international waters.

Aquarium suitability

Wildlife education and professional assessment

A fast pelagic lamnid shark is outside this library’s private aquarium recommendations. A wild diet or size record does not provide a captive system design.

Reviewed 2026-09-30. This is an applicability assessment, not a captive-care protocol.

Worldwide Distribution

Tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans.

Habitat and Movement

Open-ocean and offshore waters, commonly from the surface through deeper pelagic layers where temperature and prey are suitable.

Feeding and Ecological Role

It is a high-performance predator of fast fishes, squid, and other pelagic animals.

Biology and Life History

Shortfin Makos are live-bearing, mature late, and retain metabolic heat in selected tissues.

Global Threats and Conservation

Longline bycatch, targeted retention, international fishing pressure, and slow reproduction have driven serious global decline.

Aquarium suitability

A fast pelagic lamnid shark is outside this library’s private aquarium recommendations. A wild diet or size record does not provide a captive system design.

Regional context

Shortfin Mako in Canada

Occurs seasonally in Canadian Atlantic offshore waters as part of a wider North Atlantic population.

Canadian regions
Atlantic Canada, Offshore Nova Scotia, Northwest Atlantic
Canadian status
Consult current Atlantic Canadian assessment and fisheries information

A living record

Canonical global profile supplied by the BlueCurrent Digital Ecosystem (BCDE). Public content last reviewed August 23, 2026.