What does swordfish eat. Swordfish - live torpedo
Swordfish today is considered the only representative of the swordfish family. This animal got its name due to the peculiar shape of the upper jaw. Usually, an adult swordfish, a photo of which can be easily found on the Internet, can reach a length of more than four meters, and its weight fluctuates around half a ton. Animals live in tropical and subtropical waters, sometimes they can be found in the Black and Azov Seas. Individuals appear in moderately warm waters during the period of forage migration. So, at this time, fish can be found in the waters of Iceland, not far from Newfoundland. Animals appear in
The swordfish has an elongated upper jaw, powerful lateral keels on the tail. The body of the animal is devoid of scales. All this in combination allows her to develop a sufficiently high speed - up to one hundred and thirty kilometers per hour. The swordfish has no ventral fins, and its tail resembles a crescent in shape. Adult representatives are almost completely missing teeth, but young animals have jaw teeth. They have reticulate plates as gill filaments.
The upper jaw, shaped like a spear, deserves special attention. This part makes up about a third of the entire length of the body. With the help of its upper jaw, the swordfish strikes its prey: it cuts it in half. This is evidenced by the bodies of squid and fish found in her stomach.
A sailboat slave looks like a swordfish. Despite almost the same size and external data, they belong to different families.
The similarity can be seen in the photo.
Swordfish live in waters with a fairly wide temperature range. During fattening, representatives of the family are not too demanding on warm waters; they are often found in water areas with a temperature of about twelve degrees. During the spawning period, the situation changes dramatically. Swordfish spawn exclusively in tropical waters, the temperature of which is more than twenty-three degrees.
Animals have a fairly high fertility. A small female can lay a lot of eggs - more than fifteen million. From relatively large larvae appear, which are distinguished by a relatively short jaw, and when the larva reaches a length of eight millimeters, it takes the form of a spear. Compared to adults, which have neither teeth nor scales, fry have coarse scales with small spines, as well as jaw teeth. occurs around the fifth or sixth year of life.
The nutrition of the larvae depends on their age. At the very beginning of their development, they make do with zooplankton. When their length reaches a centimeter, they move on to small fish. During the first year of life, fish individuals reach about fifty centimeters. By the third year, their length often becomes more than a meter. The adults eat and small fish that inhabits near-surface waters. The diet includes large predators such as tuna. In rare cases, swordfish can even attack a shark.
One of the great inhabitants of the depths of the oceans is a predatory swordfish or swordfish (from the Latin "Xiphias gladius").
It belongs to the ray-finned fish from the perch-like order. Belongs to the swordfish family and the swordfish genus. Swordtails are the only species in their genus.
What does a swordfish look like?
As a rule, an individual of this species grows to about 3 meters, but some swordfish grow in length up to 4.5 meters. One fish weighs an average of about 400 kilograms (the largest of the individuals caught had a weight of 537 kilograms).
Females are usually larger than males and have a longer lifespan. Swordtails live for about 10 years.
Outwardly, the predator looks like a sharp deadly weapon, thanks to which the species got its exact name. The bones of the upper jaw, which resemble the blade of a sword, usually reach a length of 1–1.5 meters.
An oblong snout with maxillary bones with a good fat layer is the main weapon of swordfish. They will easily pierce metal with a thickness of 2.5 centimeters or a board with a thickness of 40 centimeters without getting seriously injured.
However, if the "sword" is firmly stuck in the board, then the predator will not be able to get out and will die. The impact force of the swordfish is over 4 tons.
Swordtails have a wide mouth that goes behind the eyes. Young fish grow teeth, but in adulthood they lose them. Very small individuals, when they are still less than 1 meter in length, have spikes on the body. The gill filaments of the swordfish resemble a plate in the form of a grid.
These fish do not have scales, but they have a streamlined, highly developed body and a crescent-shaped tail. This structure allows swordtails to reach speeds of up to 130 kilometers per hour, which makes them faster than the most nimble cheetahs.
In color, individuals of the species in question are usually brown, but cast in dark blue. The sides have bluish metallic tones, and the belly shimmers with silvery hues. The eyes are bright blue. Young predators have stripes on the body, but with age they disappear.
Swordfish do not have ventral fins, but there are dorsal, thoracic and lateral. However, they are not continuous and are delimited into 2 parts. The front fin on the back is high, black, has a triangular shape and starts from the back of the head. And the rear dorsal fin is located near the tail. The rest of the fins are brownish with lines of black tones.
Most fish maintain their body temperature above the temperature of the water that surrounds them, but swordtails do not have this ability. But they have an organ that warms the blood 15 degrees higher than the temperature in the environment. This blood enters the brain and eyes, which allows swordfish to remain invisible and at the same time find victims at great depths.
Where do swordtails live?
The Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans are where swordfish can be found. That is, they prefer warm waters.
During mass feeding migrations, these predators can also be found in cold waters with a temperature of about 15 degrees, but they need temperature for reproduction. environment about 23 degrees.
Swordfish individuals usually do not swim to the shore, living at depths of 600-800 meters (the maximum can sink to 2800 meters). These predators are solitary, they do not gather in flocks and keep a distance of 10-100 meters from each other.
What do swordtails eat?
This predator feeds on almost any fish and shellfish that it meets on the way. It hunts both small individuals on the surface of the ocean and large fish (for example, sharks) at great depths.
As a rule, the diet of swordfish includes a large number of squid, tuna, mackerel, perch, herring and crustaceans. The predator absorbs its prey entirely or cuts it into pieces with its “sword”.
How do swordtails breed?
In equatorial waters and the western part of the Atlantic Ocean, swordtails can breed all year round. in the waters Pacific Ocean only when the water warms up to 23 degrees, that is, in summer or spring. And individuals that live in the Indian Ocean and the eastern Atlantic spawn in November-February.
Swordfish are usually fertile individuals, and reach sexual maturity at 5 years. The larger the female, the more eggs she throws. For example, with a weight of approximately 70 kilograms, a fish will bring about 16 million eggs.
The eggs themselves are surrounded by a fatty surface and reach a diameter of up to 1.5 millimeters. They are pelagic, that is, they develop under the surface of the ocean without sinking to the bottom.
Swordfish fry do not have a "sword", but they have many teeth and spikes throughout the body. The fins on the back and sides are still solid. At first, small swordfish feed on zooplankton and live on the surface of the water, never going below 3 meters.
Young swordfish begin to eat small fish when they reach a length of 1 centimeter. Predators grow quickly and already a year have a length of half a meter, and by the age of three they grow up to 1 meter.
The main enemies of the swordsmen
Although swordfish have good weapon to defend and hunt, and they have their enemies.
Among mammals, killer whales prey on swordtails, and among predators, for example, the blue-gray shark. Often adults give a worthy rebuff to opponents, but young and inexperienced swordfish can become easy prey.
However, the most important enemy of the swordfish is man. To catch a predator, the trolling method and the pelagic longline are used. The meat for which swordfish are caught is a real delicacy. It is tasty and does not have small bones and fishy aftertaste. It can be reddish or white - the second is considered more tasty and refined.
5 Fascinating Facts About Swordfish
- Due to its enormous strength, fast speed and great stamina, the swordfish is considered to be one of the most dangerous predators world waters.
- It is not known why swordtails beat ships and vessels. According to one version, this is due to natural aggression towards everything around, and according to the second, they confuse ships with big fish ocean.
- These predators often prey on whales, although they do not eat their meat.
- Anglers all over the world are actively harvesting swordfish meat, but scientists do not worry about their population, because they have good fecundity.
- The aggressive temper of the swordfish was well described by E. Hemingway in the work "The Old Man and the Sea".
Photo of swordfish
swordfish (Xiphias gladius) is the only modern representative of the Xiphiidae family of the perch-like order. Swordfish are one of the fastest moving fish. One develops a speed of 130 km / h. The flattened and pointed upper jaw forms a sword, the length of which is 1/3 of the body length. And the fish itself grows up to 4.5 m in length and weighs about 400 kg (the record is 547 kg). She has a large crescent-shaped fin on her tail, and her body is naked, there are no scales on it.
The taste of swordfish
Swordfish, which has delicious meat, is a rather important object of ocean fishing. Swordfish, like tuna, sea bass, scampi, lobster, dory and turbot, belong to the noble fish class, so to speak. In Italy, she is very loved and appreciated. After all, the swordfish has not only a delicate, delicate, noble taste, it has practically no bones, only a central ridge. To feel all the shades of its natural taste, swordfish is often eaten raw. For example, in the form of carpaccio - the thinnest pink slices of fish laid out on fresh lettuce leaves can be supplemented with a light lemon-based sauce, the tenderness of the fish and the acidity of lemon juice will create a successful contrast combination. And, of course, olive oil - without it, nowhere. Swordfish tartare is the same idea, but a different incarnation.
Swordfish are quite expensive, which is why housewives often buy cheaper polombo from the shark family instead. They are really close in taste, but neither the taste nor the aroma of polombo has that nobility that swordfish have. For cooks, it is always better when the fish is larger, it makes cutting much easier. The optimal size for a swordfish is thirty kilograms or more. It’s better not to buy less fish - it hasn’t gained its taste yet, it hasn’t matured yet. Swordfish, like branzino and dorado, become tastier with age. The main sign of its freshness is the color of the meat, it should be pinkish. If it is white, then the fish is stale.
Sword fish goes well with fresh salads, in particular with arugula, as well as with baked and boiled potatoes, with sauces based on olive oil and lemon juice, with tomatoes, eggplants. From spices and herbs - tarragon, oregano, sibule onion, but they must be fresh. You can use marjoram, quite a bit of ginger and hot pepper, soul, dill, parsley. With mushrooms and broccoli, as well as with strong spices and herbs - mint, basil, curry, rosemary, thyme - swordfish are not friends.
Swordfish is a lone warrior
Swordfish lives in the open ocean in tropical and subtropical zones, but in summer it sometimes reaches the Barents Sea. This is a solitary wanderer, outside the breeding season, not interested in his fellow tribesmen. Swordfish make real long voyages. In calm weather, they approach the surface of the water and swim with their dorsal fin and part of the caudal fin above it. Sometimes they increase their speed and jump out of the water, only to fall back with a noise.
The swordfish is distinguished not only by speed, but also by agility, and attacking a school of fish, it turns into a formidable hunter. She pierces her victims, violently hits them to stun them, and only then swallows them.
Swordfish know perfectly well where large concentrations of all kinds of fish arise in the ocean, and rush there to hunt. There you can see several dozen predators at once, but even here they do not form flocks: each behaves independently, without uniting with its neighbors. A sword for them is not an ornament, but a necessary thing: they have no teeth, and they cannot do without a sword when hunting. Attacking a flock of fish, the predators strike them with fierce blows with swords, and then eat the crippled or killed prey. Swordfish cope with squid, tuna, sharks.
Sword fish attack ships
Swordfish have a nasty habit of attacking boats, boats, and even large ships. Why such aggressiveness, scientists do not yet know. At a speed of about 100 km / h, she hits with a sword 15 times stronger than a hammer with a sledgehammer. A case is known when this sword pierced the copper lining of a ship 2.5 cm thick and oak boards 37 cm thick, coming out the other side. The fish itself does not suffer from a blow: at the base of its sword there are cellular cavities filled with fat and softening the force of a terrible blow. True, the fish usually fails to pull out the sword stuck in the plank bottom of the vessel, and it dies.
In the 19th century, the English insurance agency Lloyd's even paid the owners of one ship several thousand pounds sterling for damage to the ship's plating by swordfish.
Swimmers and divers are not the only victims of swordfish misanthropy. Cases of attacks of this fish on boats and boats are described. Fragments of swords were removed even from the hulls of large ships. The reasons for these attacks are still not clear: either the fish crash into them at high speed, or they mistake watercraft for sharks, or they go crazy. But with the serious size of the attacking fish (and the largest swordfish reach 4-4.5 m in length and weigh half a ton, and the record specimen weighed even 650 kg), such an attack is a serious threat to navigation.
which is also called swordfish (Xiphias gladius Linnaeus, 1758) is a predatory marine fish. It belongs to the class ray-finned fish, subclass new-finned fish, infraclass bony fish, superorder prickly-finned, perch-like order, swordfish suborder, family swordfish, genus swordfish ( Xiphias). This is the only species in the genus.
Synonyms:
Phaethonichthys tuberculatus Nichols, 1923
Xiphias estara Phillips, 1932
Xiphias gladius Linnaeus, 1758
Xiphias imperator(Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Xiphias kleinii Suckow, 1799
Xiphias thermaicus Serbetis, 1951
Swordfish - description, structure, photo
Swordfish is a large inhabitant of the ocean, whose body size is about 3 meters, although individual individuals reach a length of 4.55 m. The average swordfish weight is about 400 kg, and single individuals can weigh up to 537 kg (this is how much the fish weighed , which was caught off the coast of Chile in 1953). Females are larger than males and live longer. The name of this unique predator quite accurately reflects its non-standard appearance: the long outgrowth of the maxillary bones with its structure and size really resembles a deadly weapon, a combat sword, the length of which is about a third of the length of its owner (1-1.5 meters).
The main decoration and weapon of the swordsman is a significantly elongated snout, which is formed by modified maxillary bones and looks like a flattened sharp sword. Interestingly, the swordfish weapon easily pierces 2.5 cm thick metal and a 40 cm oak board, but the predator itself receives minimal injuries, and all thanks to the impressive fat layer - a natural shock absorber surrounding the base of the "sword".
Swordsmen die after ramming only if their sword is firmly stuck in the side, and the predator cannot free itself. Dynamic calculations show that the impact force of an average swordfish is over 4 tons.
Taken from: www.delphfishing.com
The mouth of the swordfish has a lower location, the mouth is wide, going behind the eyes. Teeth grow exclusively in young individuals, mature fish completely lose their teeth. Also, young fish up to 1 meter long have spikes on the body. Longitudinal and transverse gill filaments of swordfish are connected and form a mesh plate.
The muscular, streamlined body of a predator is devoid of scales, and its shape resembles a torpedo. At the end of the caudal peduncle, well-developed crescent-shaped lateral keels grow on both sides. The tail also has a semilunar shape. Thanks to this structure, the speed of a swordfish during an attack can reach 130 km / h. Thus, the swordtail is ahead with its maximum speed of 112 km / h. Such a speed of sea fish overcoming the resistance of water is puzzling to ichthyologists, as it violates all existing laws of physics and mechanics.
Taken from: static1.1.sqspcdn.com
The dorsal and lateral fins of the swordfish are not continuous, as in most fish, but are delimited by a wide gap into 2 parts. The front high dorsal fin is black, extending from the back of the head and looks like a sharp triangular lobe. The rest of the fins are brown with black-brown stripes. The rear small dorsal fin is located next to the tail symmetrically to the second anal fin. The pectoral fins of the swordfish are closer to the lower part of the body. The swordtail has no pelvic fins.
The surface of the back of the swordfish is dark brown, but casts a dark blue, the sides are grayish brown with a blue metallic tint, the light brown belly shimmers with silver. On the body of young individuals, vertical stripes are clearly visible, which disappear over time. The eyes of the fish are bright blue.
Taken from: www.delphfishing.com
Taken from: www.sportfishingmag.com
Unlike other fish, swordfish cannot maintain their body temperature above the temperature of their surrounding water. But in a swordfish in the near-eye region there is a special organ that can warm the blood flowing to the brain and eyes, 15 degrees higher than the ambient temperature. Possessing such a feature of improving vision, a predator easily finds a potential prey at great depths, while remaining unnoticed.
Lifespan
On average, swordfish live for about 10-12 years.
Taken from: www.delphfishing.com
Swordfish is a real marine cosmopolitan that lives in the warm tropical and subtropical waters of the oceans: in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. During the period of mass feeding migrations, predators often swim into the waters of temperate latitudes: for example, swordfish were observed in the Sea of Marmara, the Black and Azov Seas, which are uncharacteristic for them, where they enter from the Mediterranean Sea. Fat-feeding swordfish are also found in the cool areas of the Atlantic near the islands of Newfoundland and Iceland, individual specimens have been recorded in the North Sea off the coast of Norway. Thus, swordfish can be observed during mass feeding in cool waters with a temperature of about + 12-15 degrees, but swordfish breeding is possible only when the water warms up to + 23.5 degrees.
Swordfish live in open ocean spaces far from the coast at a depth of about 600-800 meters, descending into the ocean to a maximum depth of 2878 meters. Swordfish is a solitary hunter, and even during mass migrations to feeding areas, predators do not gather in packs, but remain at a respectful distance, observing from 10 to 100 m of personal space.
What do swordfish eat?
The swordfish is a dangerous predator and an excellent hunter; the diet of adults includes a wide variety of fish and shellfish species. Not distinguished by special food preferences, swordfish eats almost everything that comes across its path. The predator feeds on small species of fish that are found near the surface, medium-sized semi-deep-sea fish, often hunts at considerable depths and easily copes with large predators, like. Once near the coast, swordfish do not disdain bottom fish and shellfish. The swordfish's usual diet includes squid (to a large extent), as well as mackerel, mackerel, herring, tuna, sea bass, anchovies, hake and crustaceans.
Unlike fish from the marlin and sailfish families, whose spear-shaped outgrowth on the muzzle performs exclusively hydrodynamic functions, the swordfish tool is a real deadly weapon that can pierce or cut the victim in half. The sea swordfish swallows its prey whole or cuts it into pieces.
Taken from: www.georgepoveromo.com
breeding swordfish
Swordfish that live in equatorial waters, the Caribbean Sea and the western Atlantic Ocean spawn all year round. The spawning of the inhabitants of the Pacific Ocean is timed to the spring-summer season, when the water at a depth of about 75 m warms up to 23 degrees. Representatives of the southern hemisphere population breed from November to February.
Swordfish are one of the most prolific species of fish, and the larger the female, the more she spawns. Swordfish reaches puberty at 5-6 years of age with a body length of about 1.4 - 1.7 m. A female swordfish weighing about 68 kg can bring an average of 16 million eggs, and especially prolific individuals spawn up to 29 million. eggs.
Spawning takes place in the open sea, the eggs are quite large, 1.5-1.8 mm in diameter, surrounded by a large fatty capsule. Swordfish eggs are pelagic, they do not sink to the bottom, but remain to develop under the surface of the water.
The born swordfish fry are significantly different in appearance from their parents. They don't have a sword yet, but their mouths are full of teeth. The dorsal and anal fins are not yet divided into parts, and the whole body is covered with rows of coarse scales with small sharp spines. At first, swordfish fry live at the very surface of the water, not sinking to a depth of more than 2-3 m, and feed mainly on zooplankton.
The predatory instinct wakes up early, and already at a length of 1 cm, swordfish fry begin to eat small species of fish. Juveniles grow quite quickly, acquiring resemblance to their parents, and by the end of 1 year of their existence, the average size of fish is 0.5 - 0.6 m, and at the age of 3 years, swordfish grows up to 1-1.2 m in length. At the age of three, most young swordtails go to the border waters of tropical latitudes, where they continue to intensively feed, grow and develop.
