|
1. One of the most interesting swordfish facts is how they actually use that extra long beak that travels out in front of them. Many people assume that they spear their prey with it when in fact, they slice away at their prey to make it a bit easier to catch. If they speared it, they would have no way to get it off to eat.
2. The largest swordfish recorded being caught was in Chile in 1953, weighing 1,182 pounds.
3. Males mature when they are between three to four years old while females take a year longer.
4. One of the most fascinating swordfish facts is the way that they can select organs to heat. They are cold-blooded yet they can heat only their brain and eyes which significantly improves their vision. Out of 25,000 bony fish species, swordfish are one of the only 22 that have this ability.
5. Swordfish are not at all social and do not swim in schools. They prefer to swim completely alone or not closer than 10 meters to another one of their kind.
6. Swordfish generally eat every night. It is easier for them to rise to surface level in the dark to sneak up on smaller fish. They are quite hard to catch during the light of the full moon as they don't come as close to the surface.
Back to the top
|
7. Favorite foods of swordfish include squid, mackerel, menhaden, silver hake, bluefish, herring, butter fish, barracuda and tuna.
8. Swordfish are generally not alarmed by large ships, which makes them easy to harpoon. They are however, quite startled by small boats and have been known to put their swords right through the planking.
9. Some whales, orcas and large sharks (and Humans) are the only real enemies to swordfish.
10. A female swordfish can carry anywhere from 1 to 29 million eggs.
11. Swordfish are not great parents and are known to eat their young if they are hungry or nutritionally deprived.
12. Swordfish typically display their dorsal fin briefly before engaging in one of their famous jump.
13. The majority of the world's swordfish are found in the Pacific Ocean.
14. Researchers suggest that swordfish jump violently from the water to either dislodge pests such as lampreys or to stun fish to make capturing them easier.
|
