Mako sharks have a gestation period of 15-18 months in the mother uterus.

After that, some of them are born with a length of about 2.1 feet (70 cm.)
They can grow up to 9 to 12 feet.

Links to other pages in this site

How High Can A Shark Jump Out Of The Water?
Why Is Mako Shark Endangered?
How Are Whale Sharks Endangered?
Why Are People Afraid Of Sharks?

The effects of the global warming affect the air, the land and the water of the planet. Its effects do not discriminate areas nor animal species, even if they are large sharks.

WHY GLOBAL WARMING AFFECTS SHARKS?

Global warming is a controversial phenomenon. Many scientists argue that the devastating effects it will cause in the future are already affecting the planet, but others do not entirely agree. However, regardless the cause, the increase in temperature over the last few years has negatively affected the habitat of sharks and endangers their lives.

The relationship between global warming and sharks is indirect but real. The rise in sea level occurs when the water heats up above 4 ° centigrade and as the temperature of the air increases, that of the water also, which causes the water to expand and increase its volume.

This may not seem too dangerous to sharks, right? But what happens when the ice caps and glaciers melt? Well, large amounts of fresh water mix with the salt water of the oceans. This change in the salinity can cause an imbalance in the delicate physiology of fish, as few can tolerate fresh water.

The seas and oceans absorb much of the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. Consequence: acidification of water that changes its normal PH level and prevents the formation and growth of many marine organisms, such as corals.

The food chain is also affected by the reason stated above. Plankton is consumed by many marine species and is the basis of the food chain, therefore if global warming affects its habitat and development because of the acidification, it results in a reduction of its population, the animals that consume it and those that consume the latter. That is the food chain is disrupted and reduces the food availability for sharks.

A FUTURISTIC CONNECTION?

The theory that global warming has a negative effect on the behavior of the sharks is also under consideration. Since some shark species live in cold waters, the water warming forces them to migrate to areas that are less hot and that may not be their natural habitat. Also, if their natural prey moves to cooler sites, they tend to follow them.

In 2001, there was an increase in the number of shark attacks on US beaches. In 2011 there was also an apparent increase in attacks to people on various beaches around the world, and some people were quick to relate recent heat waves to such attacks.

A year later several media reported that in Australian they had discovered the first hybrid sharks. Yes, hybrids. Australian blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus tilstoni) mated with blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) to adapt to the conditions of an ocean affected by climate change. All were assumptions so far.

Perhaps the direct cause for the attacks of sharks is not global warming, and there is not enough research to support the statements on shark-global warming connections. But one thing is sure: rising ocean temperatures with their consequent increase in water levels and acidification, changing migration and feeding patterns, changing mating and breeding areas, and affecting the food chain; All these aspects pose a risk to the survival of sharks.

In conclusion, global warming has made it difficult for sharks to continue surviving. As the temperatures of the water increase, the sharks may move to new locations which can be areas of human activities like fishing, boating or swimming.

Sharks have to travel to find food. Due to global warming, many of their food sources may be in short supply. As a result, they have to travel further and further to find prey.

Sources:

time.com/4375657/shark-attacks-climate-change/

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/39338/0

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/sharks/sustainable_use/index.cfm

http://sharkopedia.discovery.com/shark-topics/shark-conservation/

BioExpedition Publishing © 2017.

Sharks are marine predators, and they consume species that are part of their natural habitat and act on instinct, as the vast majority of living beings on this planet.

Their widespread ocean distribution and their physical characteristics are two of the reasons why people view them as a cruel and ruthless species, but their reality is completely different.

Sharks attack and kill on average ten humans per year. On the contrary, humans kill up to 30 million sharks annually (according to the Museum of the Natural History Department of Ichthyology Florida) and often just to take their fins and return them to the water alive severely injured.

WHAT IS THE ECOLOGICAL ROLE OF SHARKS?

Sharks help to “clean up” our oceans because many shark species consume carrion and dead plants, so they reduce the marine debris. They also regulate the population size of the species they consume, since otherwise such abundance of organisms could become a risk to marine wildlife and the whole biome would be affected.

The filter-feeding sharks feed on large amounts of zooplankton and eliminate harmful algal blooms, which also contributes significantly to “cleaning” the sea.

These cartilaginous fish have inspired the creation of objects for humans. For example, suits for swimmers who seek to create less friction with the water to achieve a higher speed. They have also been taken as examples to enhance structures of ships and aircraft, to improve stability in the maritime and air routes.

The research on sharks has provided valuable scientific documents that delve into the study of primitive fish and other marine vertebrates, from which conclusions have arisen about the origin of the aquatic life. Similarly, we have identified genetic qualities in sharks that can help to improve human health.

Here are some examples of the valuable importance of sharks in biodiversity and human life. If the top predator of the seas gets extinct, the populations of some species that are part of their food will increase without control. Every living thing has a purpose in their habitat, which is why sharks should also be part of our attention and defending them from the cruel slaughtering they suffer is our responsibility.

Sources:

http://www.sharksavers.org/en/education/the-value-of-sharks/sharks-role-in-the-ocean/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26975420

http://www.nationalgeographic.org/activity/the-importance-of-sharks-you-do-the-math-/

https://www.cerc.usgs.gov/Projects.aspx?ProjectId=123

BioExpedition Publishing © 2017.

For flotation, sharks rely on their liver which has oil and fats.

Their liver has two parts filled with oil and fats, substances that are lighter than water helping them to float.

Liver is as much as 30% of the shark weight, and although it helps for buoyancy, sharks must swim continuously to avoid sinking.

Links to other pages in this site

What Do Sharks Eat?
What Does Shark Mean?
Why Are Sharks Going Extinct?
What Is A Whale Shark?
What Is The Age Span Of A Shark?

The shortfin mako shark also is known as the blue pointer and bonito shark. It is a fast speed-swimming shark that has been called “the peregrine falcon of the sharks” in allusion to the fastest bird in the world. It is considered an animal dangerous to humans because of the speed which can attack and its ability to jump into the fishing boats.

It belongs to the order Lamniformes, the Lamnidae family, and the genus Isurus.

DESCRIPTION

The body of the mako shark is cylindrical, fusiform and hydrodynamic. There is sexual dimorphism since the female is visibly larger than the male. An adult can measure between 3.2 and 3.8 meters in length and weigh between 60 and 135 kilograms although females can reach 150 kilos.

The body of the mako shark is cylindrical, fusiform and hydrodynamic.

It has a powerful caudal fin semicircular with a highly developed lower lobe. It has two dorsal fins but the second one is much smaller than the first one, as well as two pectoral fins shorter than the length of the head. Its gill slits are long and have small black eyes; Young individuals have the tip of the snout black. Its teeth are large and very sharp, and they stand out when the shark closes the mouth.

Its body has a gray or metallic blue color on the dorsal area and a lighter color in the belly area.

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT

This shark inhabits all the temperate waters of the world, with larger concentrations in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans and in the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. In the Pacific, it is mainly located along the American coasts and from the Territory of Primorye in Russia to New Zealand and Australia. In the Indo-Pacific, it dwells from East Africa to Hawaii and in the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Maine to Argentina and Brazil and from Norway to South Africa.

It is a pelagic species that occasionally approaches the coasts. Its natural habitat corresponds to tropical and temperate waters, epipelagic and coastal areas with depths up to 150 meters.

FEEDING

It is an efficient predator and therefore, a carnivorous animal that feeds on several species of fish, but certainly the favorite food of the populations who live in the Atlantic is the bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) that represents almost 92 percent of its total diet. Other common foods are cephalopods like octopus and squids, bony fish (mackerel, tuna, swordfish, etc.), dolphins, turtles, seabirds and small sharks. Every day, it consumes 3 percent of its weight and needs 1.5 to 2 days to digest its food.

When hunting, the mako shark stays under the prey after identifying it. Before the victim detects it observing its movements, the shark swims vertically toward the prey, immobilizes it by biting its caudal peduncle and begins tearing pieces of flesh.

BEHAVIOR

The mako is the fastest shark on Earth. It reaches up to 32 kilometers per hour with gusts of 72 km/h and is capable of traveling up to 55 kilometers in a single day. Therefore it shows signs of being a migratory species. This fish can also jump, as it has been seen doing it out of the water reaching up to 9 meters height.

Mako sharks are solitary individuals but may be grouped according to sex. It does not represent a grave danger to humans since it lives far from the coast.

Are solitary individuals but may be grouped according to sex.

REPRODUCTIVE HABITS

The female reaches sexual maturity when it equals a length of 3 meters, while the male can mate when it gets a length of 2 meters. It is a polygamous and polyandrous species that commonly form groups differentiated by sex, that is, males and females unusually get together if they do not have the objective to mate, which happens between late summer and early fall.

Many bodies of adult females exhibit scars on their bellies, flanks, and pectoral fins, indicating that perhaps the male is aggressive during mating. Either way, the male internally fertilizes the female, and the offspring develop inside the body of the mother (ovoviviparity). The gestation period lasts between 15 and 18 months, after which the female gives birth to a litter of 4 to 25 live offspring. The female waits about 18 months to get pregnant again, so it reproduces every 2 or 3 years.

THREATS AND CONSERVATION

The mako shark is an important species for commercial fishing. In addition to its flesh, fins, oil, liver, and cartilage, its jaws and teeth are decorative objects and even trophies. And like other species of sharks, it is a victim of bycatch.

The species is considered “Vulnerable” in the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. As a consequence, some organizations have taken action on the matter in an attempt to protect and guarantee the survival of this shark species. For example, the United Nations Fish Stock Agreement (UNFSA), demands countries to create conservation strategies and follow the International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Protection of sharks, recommending a continuous assessment of the status of the shark populations, which also includes the mako shark.

Sources:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3683885.stm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shortfin_mako_shark

https://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/discover/species-profiles/isurus-oxyrinchus

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/39341/0

http://www.arkive.org/shortfin-mako/isurus-oxyrinchus/

http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Isurus_oxyrinchus/

BioExpedition Publishing © 2017.