Common name: Mackerel Shark

Scientific name: Lamna Nasus (Bonnaterre) 1788

The meaning of the scientific name: is Porbeagle.

Description: The Mackerel Shark is around three to four feet long but the largest Mackerel to ever be recorded was found in the Gulf of Maine. It was 10 feet long and weighed around 400 pounds. The Mackerel has an odd shaped body, it has a short body but has broad shoulders. Starting at the tip of the mouth the shark has a slinder nose leading to a wide upper body. The first set dorsal and pectoral fins are bigger but the second set is much smaller. The tail of the Mackerel Shark has a narrow beginning and stems up into a large tail with a slight slit in the top of the tail. The fins have an almost black color about them or slightly gray. The rest of the body is covered in a grayish blue color with some areas tipped in white. An interesting point about the Mackerel Shark is that its teeth are the same in both the top jaw and the bottom jaw and these teeth are much larger than normal teeth.

Habitats and Habits: The Mackerel Shark does not have one particular habitat. The Makerel spends most of its time surfing the ocean in search of fish to eat. They usually join up in small groups to travel in. The Mackerel skims the surface of the water looking for mostly Cod, Butterfish, Rosefish, and many others.

Breeding: The female Mackerel Shark has up to four offspring during each birthing. They are viviparous, and their stomachs swell up because of the emence amounts of yolk that build up.

Range: The Mackerel Shark is found in most surrounding waters in the Atlantic but mostly found in the Northern parts of the Atlantic. They are also founds in some waters in Africa as well as some tributaries in the United States