Isurus

The two living species are the common shortfin mako shark (I. oxyrinchus) and the rare longfin mako shark (I. paucus). They range in length from 2.5 to 4.5 m (8.2 to 14.8 ft), and have an approximate maximum weight of 680 kg (1,500 lb). They both have a distinctive blue-gray color scheme common among mackerel sharks.

Several extinct species are known from fossils found in sediments from the Cretaceous to the Quaternary (age range: 99.7 to 0.781 million years ago).[1]

The family Lamnidae also includes the great white shark and the porbeagle. Mako sharks are capable of swimming at speeds up to 32 km/hr (20 mph).[3] The great white shark is also closely related to an ancient mako shark species, Isurus hastalis. However, fossil evidence suggests I. hastalis, like the great white shark, also belonged to the genus Carcharodon.[4]

The genus contains these species:[1]

• Isurus oxyrinchus (Rafinesque, 1810) (shortfin mako shark)[5]
• Isurus paucus (Guitart-Manday, 1966) (longfin mako shark)[6]
• †Isurus desori (Agassiz, 1843)
• †Isurus escheri Agassiz 1843
• †Isurus flandricus (Leriche, 1910)
• †Isurus minutus (Agassiz, 1843)
• †Isurus nakaminatoensis (Saito, 1961)
• †Isurus planus (Agassiz, 1856)
• †Isurus praecursor (Leriche, 1905)
• †Isurus rameshi (Mehrotra, Mishra & Srivastava, 1973)
• †Isurus spallanzani Rafinesque 1810

Fossil teeth of I. hastalis

• List of prehistoric cartilaginous fish
• Shark meat