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In 2013 , fisherman off Southern California reeled in an tremendous , 11 - fundament - farsighted ( 3.3 metre ) mako shark shark . At over 1,300 pounds ( 590 kilograms ) , the animal — dubbed " The Beast " — was one of the heaviest mako shark sharks ever recorded .
In late years , seal along the California coast have been found with wound indicating they ’d been attacked by large shortfin mako shark ( Isurus oxyrinchus ) measuring over 12 feet ( 3.6 m ) long .
A mako shark attacking a piece of bait in the new Shark Week show “Makozilla."
Shortfin makos tend to grow toaround 7 feet ( 2.1 m ) long , on mean , grant to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . But they can get much bigger . In the fifties , off the slide of Turkey , black cat careen ina mako shark measuring over 19 feet(5.8 m ) long .
In the young Shark Week show " Makozilla , " shark biologist and wildlife presenterCraig O’Connellwent looking for supersized makos to receive out if only one shark had raise to a gigantic size , or if the mortal in the North Pacific population are now much turgid than they once were .
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A mako shark lunges from the water as experts try to get bite impressions from the predator.
" Are there more absolutely massive makos out there , and how are they related ? " O’Connell told Live Science . " Is it one special family of makos , or is this a characteristic of the intact population along the slide of California ? "
Through a serial of experiments , the team pull together bite impressions on bait and appraise the brute as they swam alongside the sauceboat . One shark was at least 12 foot ( 3.7 m ) long , while an psychoanalysis of the sting Saint Mark revealed another was at least 14 feet ( 4.3 m ) long .
A net test involved amaze tissue paper sample distribution from another 12 - foot mako . This was then compared with deoxyribonucleic acid from " The Beast " and another large mako caught geezerhood earlier . The answer showed that the sharks were link — but it was indecipherable how close related to they were , such or whether they were direct descendants . Inbreeding among the population may excuse the link , the squad said .
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However , these makos may be bigger than average because of how much food is uncommitted off the West Coast . TheMarine Mammal Protection Act of 1972prevented the cleanup of seals and ocean Panthera leo , leave in a buffet for sharks .
" essentially , what we discover is that this characteristic of getting absolutely monumental is a characteristic of the general universe along the California coastline , " O’Connell said . " To me , that ’s an exciting affair . It entail that there ’s a lot of very enceinte makos out there … and they have the power to control the entire ecosystem . "
The risk , he said , is that black cat are currently allow to catch two makos per day — a formula that could potentially have devastating upshot for this healthy population .
" I imagine it ’s critically authoritative for people to understand that we need these shark in the marine environment , " he said . " I care to mean of the ocean as a giant Jenga teaser [ towboat ] and the sharks stage that vital piece . If you withdraw that man , that Jenga puzzler is go to collapse . And I just guess multitude take to recognize that these creature are super , super important and we should really do everything in our power to protect them . "
" Makozilla " premiere at 10 pm ET onDiscovery .
