ATLANTIC BLUE MARLIN

The 'Atlantic blue marlin' (''Makaira nigricans'') is a species of marlin.

Contents

Physical description

Feeding habits

Reproduction

Trivia

References

External links

See also

Physical description

The Atlantic blue marlin's body is blue-black above, with a silvery white underside. It has two dorsal fins and two anal fins. It's first anal fin, along with its pectoral and caudal fins, can be folded down into grooves for better streamlining. It has a long, stout bill. Males rarely exceed 160 kg (353 lb) in weight, and females will commonly weigh over 540 kg (1190 lb).

Feeding habits

Atlantic blue marlins primarily feed on a wide range of fish (such as Bigeye tuna and Chub mackerel) and cephalopods (such as Southern shortfin squid). They tend to attack schools of fish or invertebrates near the surface of the water, although they will often feed near the bottom. They will swim through the schools at high speeds, slashing at fish with their bills, and then come back to eat the dead or stunned ones.animal diversity web [1]; Acessed 7/25/07

Reproduction

The sexual maturity of Atlantic blue marlins is reached at two to four years. The breeding season in the Atlantic Ocean is in part of summer and fall. In the Pacific the breeding season is in December and January. Females may spawn as many as four times in one season. Atlantic blue marlins have planktonic young. Females may release well over seven million eggs at once, each being around 1 mm in diameter. The young may grow as much as 16 mm in a day. Males may live for 18 years, and females as many as 27.
The status of the Indo-Pacific blue marlin (''Makaira mazara'') as a separate species is subject to some debate.

Trivia

★ It is a popular game fish with a maximum published weight of 820 kg (1,800 lb) and a maximum total length of 5 m (16 ft 3 in).

★ It is one of the largest bony fish species in the world.

★ The blue marlin is one of the fastest fish reaching speeds of about 50 mph.

★ The Atlantic blue marlin is the national fish of The Bahamas.

★ The Atlantic blue marlin is portrayed on a one-cent stamp from Grenada.

References

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External links

★ Big Rock blue marlin tournament

See also

★ Marlin fishing