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Shortfin mako

Waller and colleagues logged a 11.2 mph (5.02 m/s) burst from a 6.6 feet (2 meter) female shortfin mako, held for 14 seconds.

A shortfin mako can swim 11.2 mph (5.02 m/s), a verified measurement.

Also known as Isurus oxyrinchus
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Top speed

Published as 5.02 m/sPublished as 5.02 m/sPublished as 5.02 m/s

Waller et al. 2023, Journal of Fish Biology. Direct bio-logger burst of 11.2 mph (5.02 m/s) from a 6.6 feet (2 m) female shortfin mako, sustained 14 seconds. Mean speed during the burst was 5.3 mph (2.38 m/s). Cruise was 2.0 mph (0.90 m/s). The figure is the 11.2 mph (5.02 m/s) burst. A swim-tunnel maximum for a juvenile is not this row.

VerifiedJournal of Fish Biology (opens source in a new tab)

In context

  • 48% of Usain Bolt's 100 m world-record paceSourced · Usain Bolt, 100 m in 9.58 s. World Athletics, Berlin 2009. Averaged over the race
  • 17% of a cheetah's timed top speedSourced · Cheetah, 29 m/s. Sharp 1997, mean of three timed runs over 201.2 m
  • A football field in 18 sConstant · American football field, 100 yd (91.44 m)

Worked out from the sourced figure above, which stays the ranked number.

Quick answers

People also ask

How fast can a shortfin mako swim?

A shortfin mako can swim 11.2 mph (5.02 m/s), a verified measurement.

Is that figure claimed or verified?

Shortfin mako is labeled Verified. Independently measured and published, for example in a peer-reviewed study or with certified timing.

What is the source?

The figure cites Journal of Fish Biology, “Direct measurement of cruising and burst swimming speeds of the shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) with estimates of field metabolic rate.”

Where does Shortfin mako rank?

Shortfin mako is 5th of 10 on Fastest Fish & Sharks.

Mechanism

Why it's so fast

Waller and colleagues logged an 11.2 mph (5.02 m/s) burst from a 6.6-foot (2-meter) female shortfin mako, Isurus oxyrinchus, held for 14 seconds. That is a tag, not a muscle estimate.

Species
Isurus oxyrinchus
Burst
11.2 mph (5.02 m/s)
Held
14 seconds
Animal
6.6 feet (2 m) female

  1. A logger on one shark

    The 11.2 mph (5.02 m/s) burst lasted 14 seconds on a female about 6.6 feet (2 meters) long. A bio-logger records the animal. Svendsen's sailfish at 18.6 mph (8.3 m/s) is a muscle calculation and is not this kind of evidence, which is why a lower logged number can outrank a higher estimate on a different list.

  2. A burst, not a cruise

    The paper also discusses cruising speed. The figure is the 11.2 mph (5.02 m/s) burst. A cruise is slower and does not count. Fourteen seconds is the duration they logged for that burst, not a race distance.

Provenance

Every measurement

Claimed, measured and official figures side by side, each with its source. The ranked figure is marked.

  1. 18.1km/h11.2mph5.02m/s9.8knRanked figure

    Waller et al. 2023, Journal of Fish Biology. Direct bio-logger burst of 11.2 mph (5.02 m/s) from a 6.6 feet (2 m) female shortfin mako, sustained 14 seconds. Mean speed during the burst was 5.3 mph (2.38 m/s). Cruise was 2.0 mph (0.90 m/s). The figure is the 11.2 mph (5.02 m/s) burst. A swim-tunnel maximum for a juvenile is not this row.

    5.3 mph (2.38 m/s) and 2.0 mph (0.90 m/s) are the mean during the burst and the cruise. They are not the figure.

    Verified
    Journal of Fish Biology (opens source in a new tab)

Reference

Specs

Species
Isurus oxyrinchus
Burst
11.2 mph (5.02 m/s)
Method
Bio-logger

Context

Background

Waller and colleagues, Journal of Fish Biology 2023, report a direct bio-logger burst of 11.2 mph (5.02 m/s) from a 6.6 feet (2 meter) female shortfin mako, sustained for 14 seconds. The mean during that burst was 5.3 mph (2.38 m/s) and the cruise was 2.0 mph (0.90 m/s). The figure is 11.2 mph (5.02 m/s), qualifier verified, because a tag recorded it.

Svendsen's sailfish, barracuda, little tunny and dorado figures are muscle estimates and can sort above this measured burst. That is what the numbers do. It is not a claim that the estimate is a better experiment. A juvenile mako in a swim tunnel is not substituted for this logger record.

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