Woshimas Miyaru
Classification
Max Size
Lamniformes
Distribution
Temperate and tropical waters.
Distinctive Characters
Body moderately slender. Conical pointed snout. Caudal fin lunate. Caudal peduncle extremely broad and well-developed. Pectoral fins distinctly shorter than head.
Color
Dark blue-grey above, white below
Habitat & Biology
Oceanic and coastal, usually in surface waters down to 152 m. Feeds on schooling fish, using its slender and sharply pointed teeth. Also attacks sharks and billfishes. Ovoviviparous without yolk-sac placenta, number of pups per litter 2 to 16.
Remarks
Isurus oxyrinchus is an extremely fast and powerful shark, as its noticeably broad caudal peduncle suggests. It is a potentially dangerous shark. The longfin mako (I. paucus Guitar Manday, 1966) is very similar in appearance but has a blunter snout and pectoral fins longer than the head; it probably occurs in Maldivian waters but has not yet been recorded.