Grey-blue shark is also known as mako, as well as mackerel, bonito. Some call her black-nosed. In addition, this species has subspecies such as great white, Pacific and Atlantic sharks.
Longfin shark
In the middle of the last century, another species was described. This is a longfin shark, which is a relative of the common gray-blue.
There is only one difference between these types - the structure of the pectoral fins.
This species has very long fins. They greatly exceed the width, which is very reminiscent of wings. The gray-blue long-fin shark lives in the same area with its relatives. It is believed that this particular one is a descendant of the ancient sharks, which were called Isurus Hastilus.
This species supposedly had a length of up to six meters, and a weight of three thousand kilograms. It is believed that this type lived in the Cretaceous period.
Mako. Species Behavior
The blue-gray mako shark pictured below is an aggressive species. This shark is quite dangerousnot only for the inhabitants of the sea, but also for humans as well. After all, she will attack indiscriminately on everything that she can consider as prey. Such a shark has a bad reputation among scuba divers and divers. After all, this species does not sort out prey during the hunt and often attacks divers. There are cases when a gray-blue shark, while hunting for fish, jumped into the fishermen's boat and even harmed people.
This type of shark is most often found in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian. Preference is given to the waters of the tropical zone, where it is warm and not stormy. If the water temperature reaches sixteen degrees, then this shark can be found with difficulty. But most often they tend to swim away to where the water is warmer. If mako is found in cold water, it is only where the swordfish lives. After all, it is the shark's favorite food.
Why is it called "mad"?
This predator tries to stay at a shallow depth, and if it goes deeper, then only 150 meters. Another nickname is the mako shark - “mad”. This is due to the fact that she is very curious and fast. Thanks to its elongated and streamlined body and long muzzle, it develops speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour during the hunt.
Few of the animals living on land can develop such speed. But remember that there is resistance in water that is not on earth. During such a chase, a mako shark can jump out of the ocean to a height of up to six meters. Not only the streamlined shape of the body helps this species to develop such speed, but it is also gooddeveloped circulatory system. It is precisely the fact that the muscles are covered with a large number of capillaries that contribute to the heating of the muscles and provoke their frequent contraction, which ultimately makes it possible to develop such a good speed. Not all shark species have this ability.
But, like everyone else, in order to move quickly, she needs to replenish her energy supply with food. Of course, blue-gray shark food is required. This species is very voracious and therefore attacks everything that may be edible. And in the end, because of their curiosity and illegibility, these sharks also attack people. Such attacks on a person have already been recorded more than once, especially on those who swam far from the coast.
Shark gray-blue. Description
This species differs from other sharks in that it has the shape of a tail fin in the form of a month, as well as short fins on the chest. Dorsal at the same time in this species are quite different. The first one is large, and the second, near the tail, is much smaller.
The length of this individual can reach an average of 3.5 meters. But there are also specimens that are up to four meters in length, and their weight exceeds 400 kilograms. Like every predator, there are teeth arranged in several rows. They are sharp as a knife blade and are bent slightly inward in order to hold their prey in a stranglehold. The teeth of this individual can be seen even when the mouth is closed. Unlike the white shark, this one holds its prey, notbreaks into pieces. The number of teeth on the lower and upper jaws is the same. The head is proportional to the body of the fish, it has large eyes. Shark nostrils have special receptors in the form of grooves. They help this creature to quickly catch the smells in the water and find the location of its prey or the wounded inhabitant of the sea. Many predators find it difficult to find food in the vast expanses of the ocean. But the gray-blue mako shark copes with this task quickly.
With its color, this species of predator resembles a blue one. But only has a difference in its massiveness. From above, this predator has a blue and blue color, while closer to the stomach, the color changes to lighter - more gray or white. Like all cartilaginous ripples, the mako shark does not have a swim bladder, therefore, only by moving, it stays on the water.
Food
This predator eats variously, but if there is a choice, it prefers large fish that stray into schools. It can be mackerel, herring, mackerel, tuna and others. Do not deny yourself and treat yourself to octopuses. Can also catch squid. And if a dead whale comes across, then the gray-blue shark, the photo of which you see in the article, will not deny itself pleasure. It happens that it will even attack birds that swim on the surface of the water, and does not disdain the small inhabitants of sea waters. Therefore, it is understandable why it is believed that the shark is not picky about food. But most of all, this predator loves to eat swordfish, as mentioned above. And people who are engaged in fishing know that if a fish swims somewhere nearby,sword, a blue-gray shark can be seen nearby.
But when these two predators collide, you can see their struggle, in which the strongest wins. In a fight, both swordfish and sharks can die. But because of their preference to eat all living things, it can be said that all sharks have better survival abilities.
Reproduction
This species reproduces with the help of ovoviviparity. Eggs that have been fertilized develop fully in the mother's womb. Then she gives birth to perfectly formed little sharks. It is common for this species to eat its own kind, or rather, even in the womb of the mother, the strongest cubs can devour the weak or eggs that lag behind in their development. As a result, a small number of newborn mako sharks are born. Basically there are about a dozen of them. Already in the first minutes of their new life, small sharks must take care of themselves: get food, and also worry about their safety. After all, such babies are easy prey for marine predators. It happens that the parents themselves can attack the cubs.
Enemies
But just like everyone has enemies, this predator has creatures that it fears. Among these are large swordfish (although they are the favorite food of the blue-gray shark). There are also other enemies, such as larger sharks of other species, crocodiles or killer whales, which are also endowed with the ability to develop greater speed and have collective attack skills.
Friends
Butthere are also inhabitants of the sea who are "friends" with this ferocious predator. These include: pilots, sticky fish, cleaner fish (it accompanies the shark and helps get rid of skin parasites). Even on the body of a shark, you can find inhabitants such as capepods. They cling to the fins of a predator. Capepods also clean the surface of the fish's skin.
Fishing
Shark fishing has not been conducted for a long time. But if a gray-blue herring shark comes across in the net, then they will not let it go. After all, its meat is very tasty and valuable, especially the fins and liver.
Dangerous Predator
This species is of great interest to sports fishermen. Since when catching these individuals, the shark fights for its life to the last strength. This gives the athletes a huge amount of emotions and the opportunity to compete with a ferocious predator.
But you should always be careful with such creatures. After all, they are dangerous even when they are on land. During transportation, the fish behaves calmly, but when someone comes close enough to it, it can avenge itself with a quick movement. For example, deprive a person of one of the limbs or even kill.
There are cases when this species of sharks swam close to the shore and attacked people swimming. Now let's briefly talk about one. A case is known when a mako shark came very close to the shore and swam at a depth of only a meter. At the same time, one of the rescuers tried to fire a special gun with a harpoon. But the shark freed itself and jumped outashore to take revenge on his offender.
