Shortfin mako fact sheet

The Mako shark is a big shark with a fusiform body and a conical and pointed snout. They are very powerful and the fastest among the sharks, reaching speeds of 124 km/hr. They are commonly encountered in the open sea, along coastal areas and especially around oceanic banks and offshore seamounts (Atlantic and Pacific ocean, mediterranean and Red sea). Mako sharks can be are solitary or live in small groups. They spend most of their time in the top 150 m of the water column, but can plunge to a depth of at least 740 m. These predators swim below their prey and attack them very fast from below. In the Azores we can see mako sharks all year, although they are most abundant from July to October.