Hey #SharkWeek, my name is Melissa and I'm a shark scientist watching #MakoNation! Excited to fact-check, talk some #shark facts, and add some commentary!
First, Riley is wrong- there are numerous studies on mako #sharks. While there is a lot we don't know about them, he is making it seem like scientists don't study this #shark and that's not true. #SharkWeek
There are two different species of mako #sharks. The famous, fast-swimming one: the shorfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus; https://www.finsunited.co.nz/bite-blog/shortfin-mako-sharks) and the longfin mako shark (Isurus paucus; https://www.finsunited.co.nz/bite-blog/longfin-mako). Learn about them with @finsunited. #SharkWeek
The shortfin mako #shark goes by a number of names: the "Atlantic mako," "blue pointer," "bonito shark," "mackerel porbeagle," & "sharpnose mackerel shark."

(Note that porbeagle sharks are a different species than the shortfin mako!) #SharkWeek
The shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) is believed to be the fastest of all #sharks (with speed clocking in at 35 km/ph), and can propel themselves out of the water up to six metres. #SharkWeek
Mako #shark razor-sharp teeth are like jagged nails, perfect for capturing their prey of choice: slippery fish! Fish like swordfish, tuna, mackerel, cod, & sea bass. #SharkWeek
Mako #sharks also eat other sharks, such as blue sharks (Prionace glauca- pictured), grey sharks (Carcharhinus sp.) and hammerheads (Sphyrna sp.). Other prey items include squid and sea turtles. #SharkWeek
Like the great white #shark, mako #sharks have a heat exchange circulatory system.

These sharks can get up to 4 m and weigh up to 570 kg! Little else is known of its biology. #SharkWeek
We know mako #sharks are viviparous with yolk-sac, and that uterine cannibalism (known as oophagy) occurs. #SharkWeek #shark
Fishers that use longline #fishing gear to target #swordfish, yellowfin #tuna, and other tunas- which operate mainly in oceanic waters beyond the continental shelves that surround land masses - catch many pelagic (open-ocean) sharks, including shortfin mako #sharks. #SharkWeek
According NIWA, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, mako #sharks are the second most commonly caught shark species (after blue sharks) on tuna longlines in #NewZealand. They are not a targeted species but are taken as #bycatch. #SharkWeek
Want to see some jawsome @niwa_nz #sharkscience? https://niwa.co.nz/fisheries/research-projects/shortfin-mako-sharks

The picture depicts mako #shark tracks with daily time steps showing locations defined as Resident & Travel (some Travel locations near the #NewZealand coast are obscured by Resident locations). #SharkWeek
Basically, TL;DR -- #NewZealand mako #sharks tagged spent most of their time in the NZ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), challenging the notion they are "oceanic wanderers." But large adult males & females may be more mobile than the mainly-juvenile sharks tagged. #SharkWeek
Like I said earlier, there are two species of mako #shark: the long fin and the short fin. But here's a fun #finfact: only the shortfin is found in #NewZealand! #SharkWeek
BTW, Riley right about mako name. #SharkWeek NIWA Dr. Malcolm Francis once said, "Mako is its Māori name, meaning either the shark or a shark tooth. The Māori name has been adopted worldwide, though often mispronounced 'may-ko' rather than the more correct 'mar-kor'." #SharkWeek
"So is there any mako #shark research done in #NewZealand?"

The New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) is conducting research on mako sharks, funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries.

#SharkWeek
Yes, there is limited research on mako #sharks (especially in New Zealand) and there is a general uncertainty about the state of the stocks, especially here. #SharkWeek
Parasitic copepods, like Anthosoma crassum, have been documented in the jaws of lamniform #sharks, including Makos! They can produce deep lesions in the jaw tissues and can cause severe damage. #SharkWeek
#Finfact: a mako #shark 2020 study aimed to assess the health of shortfin mako #sharks captured by recreational fishers off eastern #Australia. It described the (possibly first) description of fishing‐induced exertional rhabdomyolysis. #SharkWeek
Like, WOAH. The possibly first description of fishing‐induced exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER; breakdown of muscle from extreme physical exertion) in shortfin mako #sharks that occurred secondary to metabolic (lactic) acidosis, hypoxia, and hypovolemia. #SharkWeek
Just a reminder that every Monday on my Instagram ( https://www.instagram.com/melissacristinamarquez/) I discuss ACTUAL #sharkscience papers using the hashtag #MarineSciencePapers! Follow me over there for more #sharks & #science - make it #SharkWeek every week for you.
Also, I'm hosting polls EVERY DAY on #diversesharks for you to all learn about #sharks you normally don't see on #SharkWeek! Yesterday? Caribbean roughshark and velvet belly lanternshark. Today? Greenland #shark. Tomorrow? YOU DECIDE: https://www.instagram.com/melissacristinamarquez/
They're talking about fishing pressure faced by all #sharks! So true.

SHARK FINNING IS NOT THE BIGGEST THREAT SHARKS FACE.
SHARK FINNING IS NOT THE BIGGEST THREAT SHARKS FACE.
SHARK FINNING IS NOT THE BIGGEST THREAT SHARKS FACE.

It is, by far, overfishing/bycatch. #SharkWeek
And while I'm talking about #sharkfinning, THE OFFICIAL DEFINITION OF SHARK FINNING IS... "removing the fins from a #shark while still on the fishing vessel and dumping the rest of the shark overboard." ​ #SharkWeek
WHAT SHARK FINNING ​IS NOT...

​1. If a shark is brought to shore (on land) with the fins attached and then has the fins cut off, this is not #sharkfinning.
2. If the #shark is brought to shore (land) without fins attached, this shark has not been finned.

#SharkWeek
I hope this episode did inspire people to look at #sharks a little different. Makos are beautiful, and we have big knowledge gaps on both species.

Did you learn something new about this #shark species from me during this #SharkWeek thread? Hope so!
You can follow @mcmsharksxx.
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