mackerel shark
noun
: any of a family (Lamnidae) of large sharks of tropical to cool temperate oceans that have a pointed snout and relatively few, large teeth and include the great white shark and mako sharks
especially
: porbeagle
Examples of mackerel shark in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The existence of mackerel sharks with crushing teeth was unknown until now, Amadori said.
—
Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 15 July 2024
Megalodon is a mackerel shark, as is today’s great white shark.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 18 Aug. 2023
Massive prehistoric marine creatures like the megalodon, a mackerel shark thought to have been more than 50 feet long, lived and died in what is now the Cooper River, a short, wide river that begins at Lake Moultrie and eventually empties into Charleston Harbor.
—Lauren Oster, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 July 2023
The temperature of mackerel sharks also tends to vary across different body parts.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 26 June 2023
Among the small remains found in the wreckage and debris was a turquoise and gold necklace made from the tooth of a Megalodon, a massive species of extinct mackerel shark that lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago.
—Mario Abad, Robb Report, 26 May 2023
Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon researchers produced a skillful ten-year cod forecast, ecologists found that the age of a lobster can be determined by its DNA, and paleontologists sought to determine why so few species of mackerel shark are alive today.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 23 Nov. 2021
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Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 15 July 2024
Megalodon is a mackerel shark, as is today’s great white shark.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 18 Aug. 2023
Massive prehistoric marine creatures like the megalodon, a mackerel shark thought to have been more than 50 feet long, lived and died in what is now the Cooper River, a short, wide river that begins at Lake Moultrie and eventually empties into Charleston Harbor.
—Lauren Oster, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 July 2023
The temperature of mackerel sharks also tends to vary across different body parts.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 26 June 2023
Among the small remains found in the wreckage and debris was a turquoise and gold necklace made from the tooth of a Megalodon, a massive species of extinct mackerel shark that lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago.
—Mario Abad, Robb Report, 26 May 2023
Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon researchers produced a skillful ten-year cod forecast, ecologists found that the age of a lobster can be determined by its DNA, and paleontologists sought to determine why so few species of mackerel shark are alive today.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 23 Nov. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Mackerel shark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mackerel%20shark. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
mackerel shark
noun
mack·er·el shark
ˈmak-(ə-)rəl- 
: any of a family (Lamnidae) of large aggressive pelagic sharks that include the great white shark
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