Direct measurement of cruising and burst swimming speeds of the shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) with estimates of field metabolic rate.

ABSTRACT: The shortfin mako shark is a large-bodied pursuit predator thought to be capable of the highest swimming speeds of any elasmobranch and potentially one of the highest energetic demands of any marine fish. Nonetheless, few direct speed measurements have been reported for this species. Here, animal-borne bio-loggers attached to two mako sharks were used to provide direct measurements of swimming speeds, kinematics and thermal physiology. Mean sustained (cruising) speed was 0.90 m s^-1 (±0.07 s.d.) with a mean tail-beat frequency (TBF) of 0.51 Hz (±0.16 s.d.). The maximum burst speed recorded was 5.02 m s^-1 (TBF_max  = 3.65 Hz) from a 2 m long female. Burst swimming was sustained for 14 s (mean speed = 2.38 m s^-1 ), leading to a 0.24°C increase in whi

SUBMITTER: Waller MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10952363 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature