Isurus
| Isurus | |
|---|---|
| Shortfin mako shark (I. oxyrinchus) | |
| Longfin mako shark (I. paucus) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Order: | Lamniformes |
| Family: | Lamnidae |
| Genus: | Isurus Rafinesque, 1810 |
| Type species | |
| Isurus oxyrinchus Rafinesque, 1810
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Isurus is a genus of mackerel sharks in the family Lamnidae, commonly known as the mako sharks.
Contents
Description[edit]
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 800 kg (1,800 lb).
Several extinct species are known from fossils found in sediments from Cretaceous to 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 60 km/h (37 mph), and jumping up to 7 m (23 ft) into the air. The great white shark is also closely related to an ancient mako shark, Isurus hastalis. However, fossil evidence suggests I. hastalis belonged to the genus Carcharodon.[3] Unique among members of the Lamniformes order, Mako sharks occasionally exhibit homosexual behavior outside of their usual mating season.[4]
Species[edit]
The genus contains these species:[1]
- Isurus oxyrinchus (Rafinesque, 1810) (shortfin mako)[5]
- Isurus paucus (Guitart-Manday, 1966) (longfin mako)[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
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Fossilworks
- ^ Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera (Chondrichthyes entry)". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Archived from the original on 2011-09-30.
- ^ "Origin of the white shark Carcharodon (Lamniformes: Lamnidae) based on recalibration of the Upper Neogene Pisco Formation of Peru". Wiley Online Library. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- ^ Garrison, Tom (2007). Oceanography : an invitation to marine science. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole. ISBN 978-0-495-11286-0. OCLC 77765037.
- ^ Smith, J.L.B. Sharks of the Genus Isurus Rafinesque, 1810. Ichthyological Bulletin; No. 6. Department of Ichthyology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
- ^ Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982 ISBN 0-00-216987-8