Sea fish sword. Swordfish: all about the "militant" inhabitant of sea waters. Reproduction and lifespan

Family swordfish, or swordfish

Since the mode of life of all swordfish seems to be the same, we will describe it, speaking of the most common form.
swordfish(Xiphias gladius). This fish is covered not with scales, but with rough skin. The color of the dorsal surface is bright purple-blue with a brownish or reddish tint and towards the belly turns into an impure, often even dull bluish-white color, which has a beautiful silvery sheen. Fins slaty blue with a silvery sheen; the tail is painted blue-black; eyes are dark blue. The body is elongated, slightly compressed from the sides, almost round behind, the front part of the back gradually deepens from the anterior dorsal fin to the head, the upper jaw is extended into the xiphoid process. This process consists of a wide plate, gradually thinning and passing at the end into a blunt point; the edges of the plate are cutting and finely serrated. This plate, at first convex, flat and even concave towards the root, is covered with stripes at the top, and one furrow at the bottom. The anterior frontal bones, the ethmoid bone and the vomer take part in the formation of this plate. Actually, it is formed by elongated and converted jaws. The mass of the sword is cellular and consists of a series of voids connected and covered with a very dense bone mass and pierced by four tubes - channels through which nutrient vessels pass. The lower part of the mouth is not elongated; the opening of the mouth extends far beyond the large eyes. Something strange is observed in the structure of the gills, since their leaves not only lie next to each other, but are also connected with each other by transverse leaves, so that the entire surface of the gills looks more like a net than a comb. The average size of a swordfish reaches 2.5-3 m, and it weighs 150-200 kg. However, there are instances of 4 m in length, and in very rare cases, almost 5 m, the weight of which can reach 350 kg *.

* The record copy of the swordfish had a length of over 4.5 m and weighed 537 kg.

Tales of giants of even greater length and greater weight must be taken with caution. A quarter or a third of the whole length is occupied by a sword, which is a dangerous weapon used by fish with great dexterity.
The area of ​​distribution of the swordfish has not yet been precisely determined, in any case, it is very large. In the Atlantic Ocean it reaches approximately from the Shetland Islands and the southern coast of Newfoundland to Cape Horn and, according to Lütken, even to the Cape of Good Hope; in the Pacific Ocean it is found from the western coast of South America and Baja California, but at least to New Zealand, and perhaps, crossing the Indian Ocean, to the island of St. Mauritius, where swordfish were, at any rate, observed. Further, it is constantly found in the Mediterranean Sea and sometimes goes as far east as Constantinople. According to Elian, it often even enters the Black Sea, and sometimes even the Danube*.

* Swordfish often come from the Mediterranean to the Black and Azov Seas to feed.

In summer, she also visits the Baltic Sea and occasionally comes along the western coast of Scandinavia to the North Cape. Brown Goode explains the repeated annual summer appearance of numerous swordfish off the coast of the New England States by the fact that they go there, following the herds of fish on which they feed. The assumption that they undertake these summer wanderings for spawning must be discarded.
Swordfish are among the fastest and hardiest fish in terms of their size**.

* * The swimming speed of the sword fish reaches 130 km/h and is a record for fish and other aquatic life.

Therefore, she is able to defeat smaller fish, which, together with cuttlefish, serve as her favorite, if not her only food. In general, she may be considered harmless and cowardly, but she is very irritable, and sometimes, without any provocation, sudden fits of dangerous rage and a thirst for destruction occur to her, during which she commits excesses. This could be considered a fiction, if truthful travelers did not vouch for it many times. Among the fishermen and coastal dwellers who know the swordfish, it has become proverbial for its willingness to fight and often reckless courage. It usually appears on the surface of the sea on calm and warm days and swims calmly, moreover, it exposes part of its dorsal and caudal fins from the water. Sometimes it moves faster, dives back and forth across the surface, and amuses itself with big jumps, during which it jumps out entirely from the water and dives again, and the splash is heard far away. In European waters, especially in the Mediterranean Sea, swordfish can be observed swimming in pairs next to each other. Often you can even see them mating. Experienced New England fishermen have never seen this, and Captain Asibi assures that he has never seen two swordtails closer than 10-12 m from each other. From the mast of the ship, under favorable conditions, you can see 10-15 and even 20 individuals of these fish. When the wind rises or coolness sets in, swordtails go to the depths. According to experienced fishermen, they come to the surface when mackerels come up and also follow them into the depths. According to Thomson and Asibi, who observed the swordfish during its hunt, the predator rushes headlong into a dense herd of fish, with the speed of lightning strikes right and left with its dangerous weapon until it kills a sufficient number for it, and then eats the prey floating around it. Many fish are cut in half during such attacks. Asibi once gathered at the place where the sword-fish raged in front of his eyes in a herd of herring, about a quarter of a dead fish *.

* The sword is often used by swordfish to strike prey. Fish found in the stomachs of caught swordfish often have sword marks or may be cut in two.

We know very little about swordfish breeding.
When you read the descriptions of the swordfish left to us by the ancients, out of habit you attribute their stories exclusively to the realm of fantasy. But about no animal, the stories of ancient researchers turned out to be as true as about the swordfish. Far be it from me to consider all the stories of the new observers to be true. But there is no doubt that they confirmed almost without exception the data of the ancients. We must first recall these latter, and therefore we will quote them from the work of the excellent translator Gesner: “This is a very beautiful, cheerful, strong and noble fish. This fish is sometimes called by other nations in their language a warrior, or a captain, or a sea king due to its very great sword, its strength, great harm and power.Whales fear sea swordsmen as mortal enemies, although the latter are afraid of the whale called Balena, so that for fear they plunge their beak, or sword, into the mud and stand motionless. Balena, noticing such a motionless a block of wood, floats, without touching it, by.
In the Indian Ocean, this swordfish is so large that it pierces with its tip, or beak, the walls of Portuguese ships one and a half hands thick. Truthful scholars and famous people have said that such a fish sometimes cuts in two with its sword a man swimming near the ship. There is no doubt that this animal has a sharp, hard and strong sword, which has great strength.
These fish are so intelligent that they are able to distinguish one from another different dialects. So, on the Lokrid coast, several Italians were once present when catching this animal, and they noticed that the swordsmen were addicted to the Greek language and were not afraid of it at all, but before Italian, on the contrary, they felt fear and swim away from there.
Fishermen are very afraid of these fish, as they enter the net and tear the net to pieces with their big and strong sword. However, sometimes, especially young specimens, are caught with a seine."

When describing the tuna, old Gesner mentions that he is very afraid of the swordfish. This is the first evidence we want to consider. Chetty emphatically denies his justice. Paul Jovius, he says, attributes the reason for the migration of tuna from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean to my fear. According to him, this sea serves as a refuge for tuna, where he escapes from the persecution of his terrible enemy. This enemy - swordfish - is so dangerous for tuna in the ocean that their herds without looking back are saved in the Mediterranean Sea. Jovius, he thinks, gives a similar story, having probably been misled by Strabo; but wherever he gets this information, it is, in any case, completely wrong.
The claim that swordfish also attack whales has been confirmed several times. But still, one must be careful to accept the data of the observer Kraua, an English navigator, since it is very likely that he is talking not about a swordfish, but about a unicorn. “One morning,” says Kraua, “during a calm that captured our ship near the Hebrides, the whole crew gathered to watch the battle between sharks, along with several swordtails on one side and a giant whale on the other. It was in the middle of summer, the weather was clear , and the whale was close to the ship, so we had the best opportunity to observe.
As soon as the back of the whale appeared above the water, the sharks jumped several meters out of the water, rushed at the object of their hatred with terrible force and struck him with strong blows with their long tails; the blows were of such force that they produced a sound, as if guns were being fired at some distance. The swordfish, in turn, attacked the unfortunate whale from behind, surrounding it from all sides and injuring it everywhere, so that the poor animal had no opportunity to escape. When we lost sight of him, the water was covered with blood all around, and the torture was still going on. We did not doubt the unconditional death of the whale. "Although, of course, this and similar observations are subject to error, nevertheless, one cannot dispute the possibility or even the likelihood that sometimes swordfish attack giant marine mammals and vent their fury on them Why, in fact, such a well-armed fish, which, in inexplicable outbursts of anger, attacks not only the ships of its pursuers, but also ships calmly moving on their way, cannot sometimes attack a huge whale? and other sailors, the observations of an old and experienced naval officer. Baron Lagontan for two hours watched from the deck of his frigate how close by one swordtail attacked a whale that dived in vain into the water. When the whale came to the surface to breathe, the swordfish immediately appeared near him "and jumped out of the water in order to plunge his sword into the body of a whale in this way. "Since Lagontan speaks not of a mass struggle that took place in the distance, which could make observation difficult, but of a single combat of two animals, a struggle that took place near, then his simple and an unsophisticated story deserves full confidence. It must be mentioned as a reliable fact that the swordfish also attacked other large animals that did not serve as food for it, and pierced them. Thus, Daniel relates that in the River Severn, not far from Worcester, a swordfish speared a bathing man and was himself caught.
Of course, the misfortunes caused by swordtails must be more frequent than is commonly thought, since most accidents remain unknown. Many travelers hardly have an idea about the way of life of these warlike animals or did not pay attention to it. About sharks, everyone recounts all sorts of horrors, although it is very difficult to be eyewitnesses or to find actual examples of this. “The swordfish,” says White Gil from the Southern Ocean, “is causing panic among our fishermen. I learned of numerous accidents caused by young swordfish. In one case, a swordfish pierced the palm of a native; the wound was round. The attacking fish took out his sword and continued on her way with impunity. Another time a native came late in the evening with a request to give arnica for a young man wounded by a large swordfish. The swordfish, hurrying after the rushing fish, in the heat fell into a large boat in which this youth was sitting. Both sides of the boat were pierced swordsman, and as the youth's knee was just in line with the blow, the swordsman pierced him not far from the joint. The sword was at least two feet long. For several seconds the poor guy was unconscious due to pain and loss of blood; he and still lame to this day. In two other cases, the ischium was pierced, and the femoral artery was almost completely torn. Both of the wounded finally recovered completely. The saddest case occurred with a girl wounded in the thigh by this terrible fish - she barely escaped death: a terrible the wound closed only after a month of caring treatment."
Swordsmen quite often pierce ships *.

* The reasons why swordfish attack boats and even large vessels are still unclear.

Boards containing a broken sword or a piece of a sword are exhibited in various collections. When they began to remake the British warship Leopard in 1725, in the bow, not far from the keel, they found a broken sword of our fish sticking out. This sword pierced the outer skin 2.5 cm thick and the board 7.5 cm thick, and, moreover, plunged another 11 cm into the depths of the log. In the same way, when reworking the whaling ship Fortuna, which returned from the Southern Ocean, a broken swordtail weapon was found, which not only pierced copper plating 2.5 cm thick, then a hard board 7.5 cm thick and a strong oak log 30 cm, but also the bottom of the barrel with blubber placed on the ship. The broken sword plunged into the wooden skeleton of the Priscilla ship to a depth of 45 cm. The fish hit the ship at night near the Azores, while the commander, Captain Taylor, was on deck. The concussion caused by the impact not only frightened the awake sailors, but also woke the sleeping ones, who hurried out on deck. On the basis of these reliable cases, which, if desired, can be cited in a large number, it is clear what extraordinary force the blow reaches, with what agility and force the sword-bearer, who is not at all angry, deliberately attacks the object he has chosen.
Fortunately, the enraged fish, trying to free itself, breaks off its weapon, stuck in a dense tree, and probably dies. Otherwise, it could cause much more trouble. Nevertheless, the swordsman has already made a lot of holes in the ships, and some of them completely sunk. Such an incident, Baird reports, occurred in 1871 with the small yacht Redgot, in which a company went off the coast of Massachusetts to hunt swordfish. The same thing happened in the same waters with the boat on which Pehuel-Leshe hunted: the swordfish, which was about 3 m long, being wounded, hit the boat with such force, approaching from below, "that not only the sword, but and the head. The large hole thus formed was plugged with a sin in half with a frock coat, and the person had to constantly bail out water so that the boat kept on the water until they landed on the nearest shore. But larger ships were similarly severely damaged. Brig "Tinker "with Captain Bernard, while returning from Rio de Janeiro to Richmond, on December 23, 1875, he was attacked by a swordfish to such an extent that the team clearly felt the push. A few hours later they made sure that the water had penetrated inside and that the brig had received a hole. The crew had to work all the time with pumps until the brig reached the harbour.
After the foregoing, we will not be surprised that the swordtail has already played a significant role in court. So, on December 11, 1868, in London, judges and experts examined the case of an accident that occurred thanks to our fish and led to the process. The magnificent ship "Dreadnought", intended for trade with India, was insured against all sorts of dangers at sea. March 10, 1864, he left Colombo for London; three days later, the crew was lucky enough to catch a swordfish on a hook. But the latter, unfortunately, broke the rope, made a jump, as if he wanted to get a better look at the ship, and soon after that hit it from below. The next morning, there was water in the hold: the ship received a hole. We returned to Colombo and for the amendment the ship was taken to Kotchin. They found a relatively small hole in the bottom. The owners of Dreadnought demanded damages from the insurance company and sued because the company refused to pay under the pretext that the swordfish could not cause such damage. Aries and Bookland were invited to the case as experts. The verdict of the court was as follows: the insurance company must pay about 12,000 marks of remuneration for the extravagant attack of the swordfish.
Swordfish fishing exists as a fishery primarily in southern Italy and the eastern United States. Regarding fishing off the Italian coast, Lindeman reports: “Swordfish are caught partly in tonnars, large nets adapted for tuna fishing, partly with large nets with large loops, partly with hooks, and finally with a harpoon. The last tool, very similar to a whale harpoon, is used mainly in the Strait of Messina.The harpoon stick is 3 to 4 m long, the harpoon itself is made of iron and has a length of 20 cm, its penetration into the body of the fish is facilitated by movable hooks.The boat remains connected to the caught fish with a string 200 m long attached to harpoon." The net used in the same place, according to Tozetti, has a length of 600 to 800 m, and a width of 16 m. At each end there is a large cork float, to which is attached a bell that chimes with any movement of the net. When a large fish becomes entangled in the loops and, trying to free itself, sets the net in a strong movement, then the fishermen are notified of this by ringing a bell and rush to take possession of the prey.

Life of animals. - M.: State publishing house of geographical literature. A. Brem. 1958

Big hello to all readers of the site "Me and the World!" Today we will talk again about the predators of the ocean - swordfish (see photo below). Interesting facts about the ancient inhabitant, you will find in the article.

Unusual inhabitants of the depths

Description The swordfish or swordfish is a large predator of the species of ray-finned fish, up to 4.5 meters in length and more than 400 kg of weight. The largest fish was caught with a weight of 650 kg. The sizes of females are larger and they live much longer, on average 10-12 years.

The unusual appearance gave the name to the inhabitant of the ocean: the outgrowth on the jaw, with its size and structure, just resembles an ancient dangerous weapon - a sword. It is interesting that such a “nose” easily pierces metal 2.5 cm thick and wood 40 cm in diameter. At the same time, they manage with minimal injuries and die only if the “sword” gets stuck in the place of the ram. Another name translated from Greek sounds like a "short double-edged sword."

Teeth grow only in young individuals, adult swordtails completely lose them, as well as spikes on the body, which are only found in fish up to 1 meter long. Large mouth and bright blue eyes.

There are no scales on the muscular body at all, and it resembles a torpedo in shape, and the tail is a moon. This structure allows you to develop speed in the water when attacking up to 130 km / h. Many ichthyologists believe that such a speed of overcoming the water column violates all the laws of physics and mechanics.

Swordfish have the ability to warm the area around the eyes and brain 15 degrees higher than the temperature of the water around them. Going down to the depths to hunt and thus increasing visual acuity, they go unnoticed, and they themselves see everything that happens around.

The photographs show all the distinctive features of the fish.

Where can you meet swordsmen

The habitat is quite large. These are tropical and subtropical latitudes of the Atlantic, Indian, Pacific oceans. And although the fish is not considered marine, but during the period of migration it swims to the Marmara, Black and Azov Seas. Swordtails that have grown fat can also be found in the cool waters of the Atlantic and even off the coast of Norway. But the fish swim to breed in warm waters with temperatures up to +23 degrees.

Their habitat is open spaces in the ocean at depths of 600-800 meters, descending for prey to a depth of sometimes up to 2.5 km. These fish do not gather in flocks, but live and hunt separately. And even when they massively migrate for food, they keep a distance from each other from 10 to 100 m.

Prey of a dangerous predator

Swordfish is an excellent hunter, therefore it feeds on almost everything that the world's oceans are rich in. It hunts small and medium fish and can even cope with large predators such as sharks. The usual diet includes mollusks, squid, crustaceans and various types of fish. Swordtails pierce or cut their prey in half.

Information about the enemies of the swordfish is also available, despite the fact that these fish have a formidable murder weapon. Killer whales and black-nosed sharks attack them, although they receive a worthy rebuff. For the sake of delicious meat, people have been catching swordfish for a long time, because their meat is very tasty without small bones. It even differs in color, depending on what the fish ate. White meat is considered the most refined.

In the pictures in many books there are images of swordfish ramming fishing boats and boats. It is simply not clear to many why the fish does this: it either splashes out its aggressiveness, or takes it for a shark or killer whale, because sometimes swordtails even attack whales (although they don’t eat their meat).

We described what a swordfish looks like in the text, and also presented some interesting facts about this ocean predator. Share the link to the article with your friends on social networks. See you next time on our website!

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 ventral 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.

Swordfish, or swordfish (Xiphias gladius) is a representative of a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the perch-like order and the family of swordfish, or Xiphiidae (Xiphiidae). Large-sized fish are able to maintain the temperature of the eyes and brain much higher than the temperature of the environment, which is due to endothermy. An active predator has a wide range of food, makes fairly long migrations and is a popular object of sport fishing.

Description of the swordfish

For the first time, the appearance of a swordfish received a scientific description back in 1758.. Carl Linnaeus on the pages of the tenth volume of the book "The System of Nature" described the representatives of this species, but the binomen has not received changes to this day.

Appearance

The fish has a powerful and elongated, cylindrical body in cross section with a narrowing towards the tail. The so-called "spear" or "sword", which is an elongated upper jaw, is formed by the nasal and premaxillary bones, and is also characterized by a noticeable flattening in the dorsoventral direction. The lower location of the mouth part of the non-retractable type is characterized by the absence of teeth on the jaws. The eyes are large, and the gill membranes are not attached to the intergill space. Gill rakers are also absent, so the gills themselves are represented by modified plates connected into a single mesh plate.

This is interesting! It should be noted that the larval stage and young swordfish have significant differences from adults in terms of scaly cover and morphology, and the changes that gradually occur in external appearance are completed only after the fish reaches a meter in length.

The pair of dorsal fins is distinguished by a significant gap between the bases. The very first dorsal fin has a short base, starts directly above the posterior region of the head, and contains from 34 to 49 soft-type rays. The second fin is noticeably smaller than the first, shifted far to the caudal part, consisting of 3-6 soft rays. Hard rays are also completely absent inside the pair of anal fins. The pectoral fins of the swordfish are sickle-shaped, while the pelvic fins are absent. The caudal fin is strongly notched and month-shaped.

The back of the swordfish and its upper body are dark brown in color, but this color gradually fades to a light brown hue in the abdominal region. The membranes on all fins are brown or dark brown in varying degrees of intensity. Young individuals are distinguished by the presence of transverse stripes, which completely disappear in the process of growth and development of the fish. The maximum length of an adult swordfish is 4.5 m, but most often does not exceed three meters. The weight of such marine oceanodromous pelagic fish can reach 600-650 kg.

Character and lifestyle

The swordfish is quite deservedly considered to be the fastest and most dexterous swimmer of all the inhabitants that currently exist in the depths of the sea. Such an oceanodromous pelagic fish is quite capable of reaching speeds of up to 120 km / h, which is due to the presence of certain features in the body structure. Thanks to the so-called "sword", the indicators of frontal resistance are noticeably reduced during the movement of fish in a dense water medium. Among other things, adult swordfish have a characteristic torpedo-shaped and streamlined body, completely devoid of scales.

Swordfish, along with its closest relatives, have gills, which are not only respiratory organs, but also serve as a kind of hydrojet engine for the marine life. Through such gills, a continuous water flow is carried out, and its speed is regulated by the process of narrowing or expanding the gill slits.

This is interesting! Swordfish are able to make long voyages, but in calm weather they prefer to rise to the surface of the water, where they swim, exposing their dorsal fin. Periodically, the swordfish picks up speed and jumps out of the water, then noisily falling back.

The body of the swordfish has a temperature that is about 12-15 o C higher than the temperature regime of ocean water. It is this feature that ensures the high “starting” readiness of the fish, which allows it to suddenly develop significant speed in the process of hunting or, if necessary, to evade enemies.

How long do swordfish live

Female swordfish tend to be noticeably larger than male swordfish and also have a longer lifespan. On average, representatives of the species of ray-finned fish, belonging to the perch-like order and the swordfish family, live no more than ten years.

Range, habitats

Swordfish are common in the waters of all the world's seas and oceans, with the exception of the Arctic latitudes. Large oceanodromous pelagic fish are found in the Atlantic Ocean, in the waters of Newfoundland and Iceland, in the North and Mediterranean Seas, as well as near the coastal zone of the Azov and Black Seas. Active fishing for swordfish is carried out in the waters of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans, where the total number of representatives of the swordfish family is now quite high.

Swordfish Diet

Swordfish are among the active opportunistic predators and have a fairly wide range of food. Since all currently existing swordfish are inhabitants of the epi- and mesopelagic zone, they make constant and vertically directed migrations in the water column. Swordfish move from the surface of the water to a depth of eight hundred meters, and are also able to move between open waters and coastal areas. It is this feature that determines the diet of swordfish, which includes large or small animals from near-surface waters, as well as bottom fish, cephalopods, and fairly large pelagic fish.

This is interesting! The difference between swordtails and marlin, using their "spear" solely for the purpose of stunning prey, is the defeat of the victim with a "sword". In the stomachs of caught swordfish, there are squids and fish that are literally cut into several pieces or have traces of damage inflicted with the help of a "sword".

The diet of a significant number of swordfish inhabiting the coastal waters of eastern Australia, until some time ago, was characterized by the predominance of cephalopods. To date, the composition of the diet of the swordfish differs in individuals that live in coastal and open waters. In the first case, fish predominate, and in the second, cephalopods.

Reproduction and offspring

Data on the maturation of swordfish are very scarce and very contradictory, which is most likely due to differences in individuals living in different areas. Swordtails spawn in the upper water layers at a temperature regime of 23 ° C and salinity in the range of 33.8-37.4 ‰.

The spawning season of swordfish in the equatorial waters of the World Ocean is observed year-round. In Caribbean waters and the Gulf of Mexico, breeding peaks between April and September. In the Pacific Ocean, spawning occurs in spring and summer.

Swordtail caviar is pelagic, with a diameter of 1.6-1.8 mm, completely transparent, with a fairly large fat drop. Potential fertility rates are very high. The length of the hatching larva is approximately 0.4 cm. The larval stage of the swordfish has a unique shape and undergoes a long metamorphosis. Since such a process is continuous and takes a long period of time, it is not distinguished into separate phases. The hatched larvae have a poorly pigmented body, a relatively short snout, and peculiar spiny scales are scattered all over the body.

This is interesting! Swordfish are born with a round head, but gradually, in the process of growth and development, the head becomes pointed and becomes very similar to a “sword”.

With active development and growth, the jaws of the larvae lengthen, but remain equal in length. Further growth processes are accompanied by a more rapid development of the upper jaw, due to which the head of such a fish acquires the appearance of a “spear” or “sword”. Individuals with a body length of 23 cm have one dorsal fin extending along the body and one anal fin, and the scales are arranged in several rows. Also, such juveniles have a lateral sinuous line, and teeth are located on the jaws.

In the process of further growth, the anterior part of the dorsal fin increases in height. After the body length of the swordfish reaches 50 cm, the second dorsal fin is formed, connected to the first. Scales and teeth, as well as the lateral line, completely disappear only in immature individuals that have reached a meter in length. At this age, only the anterior enlarged part of the dorsal first fin, the second shortened dorsal fin and a pair of anal fins, which have a clear separation from each other, are preserved in swordtails.

Swordfish or swordfish-marine ray-finned predatory fish, which is the only one of its kind. And today, friends, we will tell you about the life of an unusual marine life.

Description of swordfish

Swordfish is a large representative of the sea depths, reaching 3 meters and even 4.5 meters with a body weight of 540 kg! It is not surprising that such a large catch will please any fisherman! By the way, the most interesting sword fish equal to approximately 1.3 body lengths, growing 1-1.5 meters. In the case of fish, it is always clear what gender is in front of you, because the female has a very impressive size, the males are more modest. The swordsman has an elongated snout, and the sword from him is able to pierce a 40 cm oak board. But also die swordsman maybe for the same reason, because a strong blow of the sword is dangerous for the life of the fish, and the force of the blow can be about 4 tons!

Also, you probably noticed that the fish has large blue eyes and the presence of small fins, one of which is on the head, like a shark. I wonder how, then, the fish is able to accelerate quickly? And all thanks to the unusual tail, the fins of which are shaped for amazing acceleration at a speed of 112 km / h. By the way, an interesting fact is that only young individuals have teeth, while adults lose everything to one. The young animals have spikes on their bodies, it turns out that at this age they are much more dangerous than in mature ones. back surface swordfish it is brown with a dark blue tint, and on the sides the color changes from blue, metallic to gray-brown with a silvery belly. Life span of a swordsman may be 10-12 years.

1. The story "The Old Man and the Sea" describes the habits swordfish

2. Fishermen, and scientists, are still not clear for what reason swordsman hits the ship with his ball

3. Swordfish a real delicacy, and oh how not easy to catch an impressive fish

4. Swordfish can attack whales even though it doesn't eat whale meat!

5. Swordfish is one of the most dangerous marine predators

HABITAT AND NUTRITION OF SWORDFISH

Swordfish habitat

swordsman dweller subtropical and tropical marine oceans: in the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian. Also, it is observed by fishermen in the Black Sea, Mediterranean, Azov, up to cool Iceland, Antarctica, off the coast of the North Sea, off the island of Newfoundland and Norway.

Thus, fish dwells in cool places where the water temperature is 12-15 degrees, but breeds only at 23 degrees.

What do swordfish eat

Swordfish not only a predator, but also an excellent hunter, whose diet includes various fish and shellfish. You ask what kind of fish the swordsman feeds? Yes, anyone on the way! For example, small fish at the surface, and large in the depths. Off the coast, it will refresh itself with shellfish and bottom fish. The main diet of the swordsman: hake, mackerel, tuna, mackerel, anchovy, sea bass, herring. In the depths swordsman able to cope even with a small shark!

By the way, a fish weapon can not only kill, but cut it in half! That's why, swordfish it either cuts its prey or swallows it.

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