Shortfin mako Facts for Kids
Isurus oxyrinchus · ih-SYOO-rus ok-see-RING-kus
A sleek open-ocean shark that travels far across the sea.
- 🏃 speed: not yet checked
- ⚖️ 132 to 298 lb60 to 135 kg1
- 📏 10 to 12 ft3.2 to 3.8 m1 long
- 🎂 29 to 32 years29 to 32 years1
- 🍽️ fish
- In danger (Endangered)
A shortfin mako is a sleek blue shark. It lives in the open ocean. It travels a long way across the sea.
Shortfin makos live in the open ocean in warm and cool seas around the world, mostly near the surface. They travel very long distances. They eat mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid.
The shortfin mako is a sleek shark of the open ocean. It lives in temperate and tropical seas around the world, usually near the surface, and it is a great traveler. It eats mostly fish, such as bluefish, plus squid. Females are bigger than males, and in the wild a mako can live for about thirty years.
How big is a shortfin mako?
Shortfin mako in numbers
| Length | 10 to 12 ft3.2 to 3.8 m1 |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | no checked number yet |
| Weight | 132 to 298 lb60 to 135 kg1 |
| Top speed | no checked number yet |
| How long it lives | 29 to 32 years29 to 32 years1estimated, in the wild |
| What it eats | mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid |
| Where it lives | open ocean in warm and cool seas around the world, mostly near the surface |
| What kind | Fish |
| Is it in danger? | In danger (Endangered)2 |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- A shortfin mako travels very long distances.
- Females are bigger than males.
- It lives in warm and cool seas around the world.
Compare the shortfin mako
Friends and neighbours
Great white shark
Sailfish
Atlantic bluefin tunaThree questions
Books about the shortfin mako, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the shortfin mako for free.
For teachers
Use this animal in class: its facts are on this page, and the cards print from it.
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Isurus oxyrinchus (shortfin mako), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, Shortfin mako (Q192158), checked 30 October 2026.