TARPON

The 'tarpons' (Spanish: ''sábalos'') are large coastal fish prized by anglers. They grow up to 8 feet in length and sometimes weigh 200 pounds. When swimming in oxygen poor water, tarpons can breathe air from the surface. There are two species in a single genus '''Megalops''' in the family 'Megalopidae'Atlantic, and the other to the Indo-Pacific oceans.
The genus name derives from the Greek adjective ''megalo'' meaning 'large', and the noun ''opsi'', meaning 'face'.

Contents

Species

Species

★ Atlantic tarpon, ''Megalops atlanticus'', a famous sport fish.

★ Indo-Pacific tarpon, ''Megalops cyprinoides'', a lesser-known and smaller fish.