Swordfish are mostly famous for their long bill, which look like a sword. You can definitely guess that their name was put due to their sword-like bill. Swordfish are one of the fastest fishes in the ocean; hitting a top speed of 60 mph. They mostly rely on their speed and agility for hunting food.
How Do Swordfish Look Like?
Swordfishes commonly grow 3 meters (10 feet) in length. Although, the largest swordfish was found to have a length of 4.5 meters (15 feet) and a weight of 650 kg (1430 pounds). Swordfish have a special organ in front of their eyes, which is also found in some species of sharks. This organ helps them to warm up their eyes and Brain in cold waters.
Swordfish Diet
Swordfish feed on a wide variety of smaller and larger fishes. They can eat smaller fishes as a whole, but for larger fishes, they use their sharp bill to attack them. They can also eat octopuses and squids as their food source. Swordfish eat on daily basis, mostly at night times. They normally come to the surface in search of smaller fishes
Habitat of Swordfish
Swordfish are found in many oceans including Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans. They prefer warm water in winter and cold water in summer. Due to this reason, they used to migrate in different regions of the ocean where the temperature is suitable for their living. They can swim at different depths in the ocean, but they are commonly found at a depth of 550 meters. They more often come to the surface of oceans for jumping, which is known as breaching.
Conservation status of Swordfish
Swordfish are currently placed in the least concern level. But they have always threat from humans. Swordfish are popular in menus of many restaurants around the world. many of swordfish are being hunted for the sake of food.
An advertising campaign started by US Natural Resources Defense Council, became successful in convincing hundreds of chefs to remove the swordfish from their menus. There are many regions where the number of swordfish have decreased. Probably due to over-hunting and pollution.
Facts
- Swordfishes prefer to swim alone, rather than moving in groups.
- They are one of the fastest fish species found in the oceans.
- Their high swimming speed helps them in catching their prey.
- They are near the top of the food chain with only a few predators including humans, sharks, and whales.
- They lose their teeth, as they reach their adulthood.
