Shark Week 2020 | 'Mako Nation': Makos may be more dangerous than great whites but face extinction risk
When it comes to the most dangerous predators of the ocean, the first species we think of are the sharks -- more specifically, the great white sharks. These sharks were made infamous after Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws' came out in 1975, prompting many to go hunting for sharks en masse and keep trophies. However, the great white sharks may not be the most dangerous of them all -- that mantle could belong to the mako shark, a cousin of the great whites. The mako shark is the leanest, meanest, fastest predatory shark the ocean ever saw. With a torpedo-shaped body, really strong muscles, and a powerful tail, once the mako shark decides to make a meal of a fish, it might as well be a goner. What if its prey was fast too? In that case, the mako shark bites off the tail of its prey, severing its propulsion and therefore slowing it down enough to chomp on it.
The name mako comes from the Maori word for shark. Viewed as guardian spirits by the Maori people of New Zealand, sharks are featured in several Maori myths. The teeth of mako and great whites were particularly high-prized by Maori, who used their them in necklaces, earrings, and in trade. Most reports about mako refer to the shortfin mako. The lesser-known longfin is an uncommon species, which due to its long, broad pectoral fins, and slimmer build does not exhibit the speed the shortfin mako does.
The mako sharks are the fastest known sharks in existence, clocking in at a record-shattering 60 miles per hour. These sharks possess two sets of muscles running down the sides of their body that act just like pistons in moving their tails back and forth. What helps the mako sharks more is a unique feature called countercurrent heat exchangers, that sees the lining up blood vessels going to and from the cold parts of the body (like fins) next to blood vessels coming from warm parts of the body (like the heart). This helps the mako shark retain the heat from its own body so that its muscles get a boost of warmth, which help them swim faster.
The speed alone makes the shortfin makos deadly predators but they are also targeted by sports fishermen and others and they are hunted for their meat and fins. These sharks are at their most dangerous when lifted on to boats, but have been responsible for only one fatal attack out of nine recorded attacks on humans. This could be because the mako sharks are pelagic creates -- they live in the really deep waters of the ocean. If a mako shark comes at you while swimming in a figure-eight pattern with their mouths open, it is a sign that the mako shark is looking at you as prey.
Because they are widely hunted, the mako sharks are also in danger of extinction. In 2019, the mako sharks were listed as vulnerable by governments voting under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). They were also classified as endangered globally and critically endangered in the Mediterranean and put on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) red list.
'Mako Nation' airs on Discovery Channel on August 13 at 10/9c.