Tailed monkey of the narrow-nosed family. Narrow-nosed monkeys
More than 160 years ago, in 1856, the British Insurance Company introduced a mandatory clause in the contract for compensation for damage in the event of an attack. It still remains a mystery to scientists why this creature attacks fishing boats and even large ships with unprecedented hatred, leaving deep cracks and holes.
Either out of hostility towards everything around them, splashing out natural aggression, or they do not have time to stop, picking up speed. According to one version, predatory animals confuse them with big fish. However, all assumptions have not yet found their scientific confirmation.
The consummate sprinter
The swordfish is the most powerful specimen on the planet; it moves faster than the cheetah itself. Moreover, the terrestrial predator, encountering only air resistance, covers only short distances at a speed of 110 km/h. The inhabitant of the ocean depths reaches record levels that even light airplanes and birds are not capable of.
It overcomes the water column at 140 km/h, moving like this for quite a long time. Five meter length, low energy consumption, only 360 Horse power- Ichthyologists are perplexed as to what makes it possible to move so quickly towards the goal.
Russian shipbuilder A.N. Krylov, having seen a piece of a broken hull of a sailing ship in a museum, decided for the first time to calculate the power of this predator. The mathematical calculations were discouraging. The 56 centimeter thickness of the skin suffered from a 4-ton impact.
Nature generously rewarded live torpedo. In the world it is considered one of the fastest fish. Everything about this individual is designed to move at its maximum level, gliding through the water without encountering any resistance:
- Naked, scaleless, muscular, streamlined body;
- Crescent tail;
- A unique nose that cuts through the ocean layers.
Real rapier
It was thanks to the latter that the animal received such an accurate name. This is the only sword of its kind - a fish. The flat, long sword-like snout is nothing more than a modified upper jaw formed by the nasal bones.
They resemble a saber blade, and reach 1/3 of the length of the entire body, approximately 1.5 meters. A good fat layer at the base of the growth and its flattened shape are natural shock absorbers that allow you to “mutilate” the metal, but not suffer yourself. Swordfish die only if the spear is thoroughly stuck in the side.
This is not only a tool for easily gliding through the water, but also a deadly weapon for food. Favorite place hunting - schools of fish. Once you get there, all living things will be chopped up and mutilated. Then the predator will only have to swallow the prey.
Swordfish mainly feast on squid, crustaceans and small fish. They often find mutilated large relatives, including sharks and whales, although they do not feed on the latter. Its enormous mass and size make it easy to do this.
- They usually grow up to three meters. The largest representative, to date, stretched to 4.55.
- The average weight of swordtails is about 450 kg. A large specimen weighing 650 kg was caught.
Ray-feathered appearance
The pelvic fins are absent, the two dorsal fins are divided into two parts, when in most fish they are solid. The first begins immediately at the back of the head. Tall and sharp, it splits the water surface, leaving a massive foamy trail. The second little one perched near the tail. Shades from dark to light - Brown with a blue metallic tint they decorate the back and sides, and the belly is silver.
And why should she disguise herself when she herself is one of the most bloodthirsty fish. The wide mouth is devoid of teeth. Young swordtails can boast of them, but mature representatives cannot. On average, life expectancy is up to 11 years. The oldest fish ever caught is 16 years old. Females live longer than males.
Rare organ
The adjective unique always sounds in relation to sword fish and there is no escape from it. This creature is cold-blooded. But in her head there is a specific organ that warms the blood flowing to the brain and eyes. Here the temperature exceeds environment at 10 -15 °C. This significantly increases reaction speed and allows you to hunt productively in deeper cover.
Home for the Predator
They can be found in the warm tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. But during food migrations for feeding, they move far into northern latitudes. It can exist in a cool environment, but always returns home for the winter. It was also seen off the coast of Iceland, in the Barents and Azov Seas.
They stay away from the shore, at a depth of 700 - 800 meters. During the day they descend into colder layers up to 3,000 meters.
Offspring
Capable of reproducing all year round, but with the condition that the water temperature will be more than 23 degrees. They reach sexual maturity at 4–5 years. Baby swordtails look nothing like their parents, with teeth and spines all over their bodies. They feed on plankton, trying not to go deeper than 3–4 meters.
But already at a centimeter age they feast on small fish. They are growing very actively. They can boast half a meter in length per year. It looks like an ordinary little guy, devoid of a sword. But gradually growing up to a meter, his nasal bone stretches, and his teeth fall out.
Enemies
It's hard to believe that a large predatory fish there will be some. They are attacked by killer whales and black-nose sharks. But the most devoted fan of the individual remains man. Its meat is devoid of large bones, has no specific smell and is considered a delicacy. The swordfish, which was filmed in 2001, became famous on screen. The brave and indomitable nature of the predator was passed on to the main character, where he emptied secret accounts at record speed.
Video review of sword fish:
The swordfish is a very large marine predator. It belongs to the order Perciformes and is considered the only and unique representative of the swordfish family. This giant received its unusual name due to the special shape of its snout in the shape of a sword, which you can see in the photo or video.
Description of appearance
Most individuals grow up to 3 meters. However, there were specimens that grew more than 4.5 meters in length and weighed 650 kilograms. A distinctive feature of the sword fish is the elongated snout, which is formed by the premaxillary bones in the shape of a sword. The mouth is located below, and only young individuals have teeth. The swordfish has no scales at all, its back is dark blue, its sides have a bluish-gray tint, and its belly is painted silver, which is clearly visible in the photo.
Thanks to its highly developed muscles and streamlined shape, the swordfish is capable of developing colossal underwater speed. Some sources say that this fish swims at a speed of over 96 km/h: you can watch its movement on video. This speed was calculated based on the depth of penetration of the sword into the wooden boats. There were cases when fish even pierced the sides of boats with swords. But in most cases it was an absurd accident, since the fish simply could not change its trajectory upon noticing the obstacle.
Distribution and habitats
Swordfish lives in sea waters at depths of up to 600 meters. Fish can be found in almost every salty body of water, which will be located in tropical and temperate latitudes. The fish begins to feel comfortable when the water temperature is more than 15 degrees. Most often, swordfish can be found far from the coastline.
While searching for food, fish are able to travel vast distances. There have been cases when heat-loving fish were spotted in the North Sea. There have been isolated cases when it was spotted near Northern Norway. However, for reproduction the water temperature must be more than 23 degrees Celsius. As a rule, most individuals live in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, Marmara, Mediterranean, Azov and Black Seas.
Reproduction
Although people regularly catch swordfish, due to its very tasty meat, which is shown in the photo, this does not reduce the population. This is explained by the very high fertility of females. The older and larger the individual, the greater the amount of eggs it can spawn. In equatorial latitudes, swordfish spawn throughout the year. In colder waters, it spawns seasonally, at a time when the water temperature warms up above 24 degrees Celsius.
The fry hatched from the eggs do not at all resemble adult fish. They lack their sword, they have teeth, a solid dorsal and anal fin, and small individuals also have scales with small spines. At first, the fry's diet includes zooplankton, but very soon they begin to eat small fish. As the larvae grow older, they begin to acquire the features of an adult: teeth and scales with spines disappear, and the dorsal fin begins to separate with a fairly large anal gap.
The swordfish is considered an excellent predator, which Mother Nature created for successful hunting. The presence of excellent reaction and agility, a pointed muzzle and clear, sharp vision, an aggressive character and strong muscles make this representative of the ichthyofauna a real killing machine, which is dangerous for everyone, in particular for humans. Watch the video of a fish sword being filmed underwater.
Which is also called swordtail (Xiphias gladius Linnaeus, 1758) is a predatory marine fish. It belongs to the class ray-finned fish, subclass new-finned fish, infraclass bony fish, spiny-finned superorder, perciforme order, suborder swordfish, family swordfish, genus swordfish ( Xiphias). This is the only species in the genus.
Synonyms:
Phaethonichthys tuberculatus Nichols, 1923
Xiphias estara Phillipps, 1932
Xiphias gladius Linnaeus, 1758
Xiphias emperor(Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Xiphias kleinii Suckow, 1799
Xiphias thermomaicus Serbetis, 1951
Swordfish - description, structure, photo
Swordfish is a large inhabitant of the ocean, whose body size is about 3 meters, although some individuals reach a length of 4.55 m. The average weight of swordfish is about 400 kg, and individual individuals can weigh up to 537 kg (that’s 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 approximately a third of the length of its owner (1-1.5 meters).
The main decoration and weapon of the swordfish is a significantly elongated snout, which is formed by modified maxillary bones and has the appearance of a flattened sharp sword. Interestingly, the swordfish’s weapon easily penetrates 2.5 cm thick metal and a 40-centimeter 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”.
Swordfish die after being rammed only if their sword gets stuck tightly in the side and the predator cannot free itself. Dynamic calculations show that the impact force of an average swordfish is more than 4 tons.
Taken from: www.delphfishing.com
The mouth of the swordfish has a lower position, the mouth is wide, extending behind the eyes. Teeth grow exclusively in young fish; mature fish completely lose their teeth. Also, young fish up to 1 meter long have spines on their bodies. The longitudinal and transverse gill filaments of swordfish are connected and form a reticular plate.
The muscular, streamlined body of the predator is devoid of scales, and its shape resembles a torpedo. At the end of the caudal peduncle, well-developed crescent-shaped lateral carinae grow on both sides. The tail also has a crescent shape. Thanks to this structure, the speed of a swordfish when attacking can reach 130 km/h. Thus, the swordtail is ahead with its maximum speed of 112 km/h. This speed of sea fish overcoming the resistance of water causes bewilderment among ichthyologists, since it violates all existing laws of physics and mechanics.
Taken from the site: static1.1.sqspcdn.com
The dorsal and lateral fins of swordfish are not solid, like those of most fish, but are delimited by a wide gap into 2 parts. The front high dorsal fin is black, extends from the back of the head and looks like a sharp triangular blade. The remaining 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 swordfish are located closer to the lower part of the body. The swordfish does not have pelvic fins.
The surface of the back of the swordfish is dark brown, but shimmers with a dark blue color, the sides are grayish-brown with a blue metallic tint, and the light brown belly shimmers with a silvery color. Vertical stripes are clearly visible on the body of young individuals, which disappear over time. The fish's eyes are bright blue.
Taken from: www.delphfishing.com
Taken from: www.sportfishingmag.com
Unlike other fish, swordtails cannot maintain a body temperature higher than the temperature of the water around them. But in the swordfish, in the area around the eye, there is a special organ that can warm the blood flowing to the brain and eyes 15 degrees above the ambient temperature. Possessing this feature of improved vision, the predator easily finds 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 true marine cosmopolitan that lives in the warm tropical and subtropical waters of the world's oceans: 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 uncharacteristic Sea of Marmara, the Black and Azov Seas, where they come from the Mediterranean Sea basin. Fat-feeding swordfish are also found in cool areas of the Atlantic off the islands of Newfoundland and Iceland; individual specimens have been recorded in the North Sea off the coast of Norway. Thus, during mass feeding, swordfish can be observed in cool waters with a temperature of about + 12-15 degrees, but reproduction of swordfish is possible only when the water warms up to + 23.5 degrees.
Swordfish live in open ocean spaces far from the shore at a depth of about 600-800 meters, descending into the ocean to a maximum depth of 2878 meters. The swordtail is a solitary hunter, and even during mass migrations to feeding areas, predators do not gather in flocks, but remain at a respectful distance, maintaining 10 to 100 m of personal space.
What does swordfish eat?
Swordfish are a dangerous predator and an excellent hunter; the diet of adults includes many different species of fish and shellfish. Not having any special dietary preferences, swordfish eats almost everything that comes its way. 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 off the coast, the swordfish does not disdain bottom fish and shellfish. The typical diet of swordfish includes squid (heavily), as well as mackerel, mackerel, herring, tuna, sea bass, anchovies, hake and crustaceans.
Unlike fish from the family of marlin and sailfish, whose spear-shaped outgrowth on the muzzle performs exclusively hydrodynamic functions, the weapon of a swordfish is a real deadly weapon, capable of piercing or cutting a victim in half. The sea swordfish swallows its prey whole or chops it into pieces.
Taken from the site: www.georgepoveromo.com
Reproduction of swordfish
Swordfish, which live in equatorial waters, the Caribbean Sea and the western Atlantic Ocean, spawn year-round. Spawning of the inhabitants of the Pacific Ocean is confined 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 fish species, and the larger the female, the more eggs she spawns. Swordfish reaches sexual maturity 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 produce an average of 16 million eggs, and particularly fertile individuals spawn up to 29 million. caviar.
Egg throwing occurs in the open sea, the eggs are quite large, 1.5-1.8 mm in diameter, surrounded by a large fat capsule. Swordfish eggs are pelagic; they do not sink to the bottom, but remain to develop under the surface of the water.
The swordfish fry that are born 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 entire body is covered with rows of rough scales with small sharp spines. At first, swordfish fry live at the very surface of the water, not descending to a depth of more than 2-3 m, and feed mainly on zooplankton.
The predatory instinct awakens early, and already at a length of 1 cm, swordfish fry begin to eat small species of fish. Juveniles grow quite quickly, becoming similar to their parents, and by the end of 1 year of their existence, the average size of the fish is 0.5 - 0.6 m, and at the age of 3 years, swordfish grows to 1-1.2 m in length. At three years of age, most young swordfish move to the border waters of tropical latitudes, where they continue to intensively feed, grow and develop.
