The toothy skin of one of the world’s fastest fish, the mako shark, is being studied in US Army-funded research in the hopes that its hide might lead to more efficient or agile aircraft.

Makos have been recorded swimming at speeds of 60mph but are estimated to be able to go as fast as 80mph, thanks to a host of evolutionary adaptations that let it cut through the water with minimal drag.

Rather than being perfectly smooth, the shark has row upon row of minute, raised tooth-like scales along its sides and on its fins, and University of Alabama aeronautical engineers set out to understand what role they play.

The scales are actually biologically similar to the shark’s teeth, except each measures about 0.2mm long and is capable of bristling up or flexing backwards when the mako is swimming.

Endangered sharks being served up in British fish and chip shops Show all 6 1 /6 Endangered sharks being served up in British fish and chip shops Endangered sharks being served up in British fish and chip shops Scalloped hammerhead shark Scalloped hammerhead shark fins were among those found being sold by an Asian food retailer in the UK. These sharks are endangered, and in parts of the Atlantic Ocean, their populations have declined by over 95% in the past 30 years. Istock/Janos Endangered sharks being served up in British fish and chip shops Spiny dogfish In the samples of takeaway fish and chips sampled, spiny dogfish made up 90% of those sold under the names huss, rock salmon and rock eel. Doug Costa, NOAA/SBNMS Endangered sharks being served up in British fish and chip shops Shortfin mako shark Another vulnerable species found in the dried shark fins tested in the British Asian wholefood retailer was the shortfin mako shark. Istock/Alessandro De Maddalena Endangered sharks being served up in British fish and chip shops Blue shark Blue shark was also found on sale in UK shops. This species is not as vulnerable as the others but is still listed as "Near Threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Istock/Howard Chen Endangered sharks being served up in British fish and chip shops Nursehound Around a quarter of the sharks being sold in UK fishmongers were nursehounds, another relatively safe species that is nevertheless classified as near threatened. Mario Antonio Pena Zapatería Endangered sharks being served up in British fish and chip shops Misleading names in fish shops The scientists behind the study investigating the prevalence of endangered shark meat on sale concluded that shops must stop selling these species under "umbrella terms" that hide their true origin. Istock

If you were to run your hand over the shark from nose to tail, in the same way as water flowing over its body, they would feel perfectly smooth.

If you ran your hand the other way, it would feel rough like sandpaper and the researchers suspected this bristling has the crucial effect of disrupting currents that might swirl back against it – known as flow separation – and cause drag.

Shortfin mako shark scales which each measure about 0.2 millimeters in length are derived from tooth cells (Phil Motta – University of South Florida) (Phil Motta - University of South Florida)

This pressure drag is one of the most influential factors on aircraft and techniques to mitigate it could help them become more fuel efficient, fly faster and be more responsive.

“The dimples on a golf ball are an example of separation control that reduces pressure drag by maintaining attached flow around the ball and reducing the size of the wake,” said Dr Amy Lang, who led the research being presented at a meeting of the American Physical Society in Boston on Monday.

“You can hit a golf ball with dimples 30 per cent farther than if the same ball were smooth.”

Using a wind tunnel and samples of mako shark hide taken from the animal’s flanks, the researchers measured the velocity of water flows over a smooth surface and the animal’s skin.

They found this “passive bristling” effect from the shark scales did indeed control flow separation and reduce drag.

“In all cases with the flank skin, we saw the size of the separated flow region reduced significantly by the presence of the skin.” Dr Lang said.

The research has been part-funded by aerospace firm Boeing and the US Army and could be inspire new drag-resistant coatings.