Swordfish

Perhaps, when referring to the aquatic world, fish always come to mind. Well, these are the most characteristic animals of this type of habitat, and they are precisely because of their varied shapes, colors, behaviors, etc. There is no doubt that within this group of creatures we can point to many, but perhaps one of the most spectacular swordfish.

Swordfish have been present in human life for many reasons, since from time immemorial it has fascinated us. However, there may be many of you who do not know great things about him, and this is the reason why we made this article. Here, you we will offer extensive information with which you can become more familiar with the incredible swordfish.

Swordfish habitat

There are cases in which the more peculiar an animal is, the more difficult it is. We cannot transfer this rule to swordfish.

Sword fish inhabit practically all the world's oceans. Of course, not all areas bathed by ocean waters are to your liking. They have a strong predilection for warm type waters, such as tropical and subtropical. Generally, they move in areas close to the surface, whose temperature oscillates around the 15 ° C. On the other hand, it is true that they not only exclusively frequent these territories, but there have also been occasions, and more than one, in which they have been seen in cold waters, although we insist that it is not the most common.

If we want to further specify and name the most common swordfish habitats, the following list would come up: northern Peru, northern Hawaii, eastern Japan, and parts of Mexico and the United States.

Main characteristics of swordfish

As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, swordfish, whose scientific name is Xiphias gladius, It is one of the most striking fish that has ever existed. The secret of this condition lies in its nickname.

The long and pointed mouth of this fish is its mark of unmistakable identity. This bone structure closely resembles the blade of a long sword, which it uses to attack its prey and defend itself from possible predators.

Beyond that creepy mouth, the swordfish has a huge body. And, yes, when we say huge, it is huge. Specimens have been found that have reached up to 5 meters long and weighing more than half a ton, almost nothing! This body usually has dark tones, among which the colors black and blue stand out. It should be noted that when it comes to body composition, females are much larger than males.

Another characteristic of swordfish is that it is an animal ectothermic, that is, capable of maintaining the temperature of your body at a higher range than that of the water in which it is found.

Finally, mention that they are fish with a great vision and as a general rule, loners.

Swordfish diet

Having a weapon as powerful as its sharp and pointed mouth, presages that swordfish habits are rather carnivorous. If you think that, you are correct.

They are one of the fish with the best hunting skills in the world. What's more, it no longer only depends on that weapon that we place so much emphasis on, but speed and agility in its movements it provides it with a much greater predatory potential.

Among the wide range of species that we could classify as potential swordfish prey are other fish such as mackerel, hake, tuna, etc. To them we can also add some crustaceans, cephalopods, etc.

Reproduction

swordfish are animals oviparous, which translates into hatching from eggs. The fertilization process takes place through the external fertilization method (The females release the eggs into the water, which will later be fertilized by the male's semen), and it is noteworthy that the males reach sexual maturity earlier than the females.

Egg spawning takes place throughout the yearTherefore, swordfish do not have a specific time to reproduce, as long as the waters have a rather temperate temperature. The chosen areas are usually the Caribbean seas, Florida coasts and the Gulf of Mexico.

Another fact, more than curious, is that females are capable of storing nothing more and nothing less than 1 to 29 million eggs. It is true that for the size of these fish, the eggs are very small, never larger than 2 millimeters in diameter.

We hope we have introduced you to a little more about swordfish, which is unfortunately in decline due in large part to the indiscriminate fishingSince it is one of the species, it has a great presence in human nutrition.