4 of the Fastest Sharks in the World Can Be Found in Maine

I remember as a young child swimming at the beach at Winslow Park in Freeport where we camped for the summer for many years. I never really liked swimming in the ocean. Seaweed, salt water, cold water, all of it was not my thing. I preferred swimming at my great-grandfather's camp on Sebago Lake, with nice, clean water that was just the right temperature if we had some hot summer days.

But my parents told me to swim in the ocean, so I did as I was told. Forget the seaweed, jellyfish, and salt water. I also feared sharks. There weren't any sharks in Maine though, right?

It turns out that some of the fastest sharks in the world are here in the coastal waters of Maine. If you're thinking Jaws, yeah. He's out there somewhere.

There's a list of seven sharks that can be found in Maine waters. But, we are looking at four sharks in Maine that are some of the fastest in the world according to a-z-animals.com, and verified to be in Maine waters by the Maine Departement of Marine Resources. Be on the lookout for these bad boys.

Shortfin Mako Shark

Shortfin mako sharks can grow to 12 feet in length, weigh as much as 1100 pounds, and have a swimming speed of 31 mph. They can also move up to 46 mph in a quick burst.

Blue Shark

Blue sharks can reach a speed of up to 43 mph, but they rarely do unless they are going to attack their prey.

Great White Shark

This is the guy of nightmares, thanks to the movie Jaws. Great whites can reach speeds of 34 miles per hour. They use that speed to go after their prey of seals, fish, dolphins, porpoises, whales, turtles, and birds, so you want make sure you don't look like any of those animals to the great white

Thresher Shark

Thresher sharks can reach a speed of 30 mph, but that's not what you should be concerned about. That long tail of theirs can whip around at 80 mph.