Swordfish Research Paper
Tina Valler
Period 5/6
The swordfish was first described in 1758 by Linnaeus. It was given the name Xiphias gladius which is still used in present day. The Family of this fish is Xiphiidae, Order is Perciformes, and the Class is Actinopterygii. When it is translated into English, the Latin term gladius means "sword", referring to the long sword-like bill the fish possesses. Some of the English common names include broadbill, broadbill swordfish, and many others. The swordfish is named for its sharp, broad, elongated upper jaw, which it uses to flail and pierce its prey of smaller fish, rising beneath a school to kill and then devour them.
This fish is unlike any other species in the ocean and doesn't resemble any other billfish. …show more content…
This fish migrates frequently, often moving to warmer waters in the winter and cooler waters in the summer. It is present in frontal zones, areas where ocean currents collide and the productivity is high. This fish can be found worldwide, it can vary from oceans like the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Studies have shown a few swordfish make substantial seasonal migration. In the Pacific, swordfish appear to move northward from Baja California in the spring to California in the summer and fall, then move off-shore to spawn. Swordfish in the eastern Pacific generally stay inshore near the bottom during the day. At dusk, they head seaward. After sunset, they feed near the surface and return to inshore areas at …show more content…
Females may carry as many as one million to twenty-nine million eggs in their gonads. During spawning season, solitary males and females pair up with each other. Spawning occurs in the Gulf of Mexico, the Florida coast, and the Caribbean Sea all year round. One of the most recognizable sites where spawning takes place is in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Italy. Males are known for chasing females during July and August. The embryonic development occurs during the two and a half days following fertilization .The pelagic larvae are four millimeters long at hatching and live near the surface. At this stage in time, their body is only lightly pigmented, and the snout is relatively short and the body has many distinct scales. As the growth continues, the upper portion of the bill grows faster than the lower bill, ultimately producing the elongated upper
Period 5/6
The swordfish was first described in 1758 by Linnaeus. It was given the name Xiphias gladius which is still used in present day. The Family of this fish is Xiphiidae, Order is Perciformes, and the Class is Actinopterygii. When it is translated into English, the Latin term gladius means "sword", referring to the long sword-like bill the fish possesses. Some of the English common names include broadbill, broadbill swordfish, and many others. The swordfish is named for its sharp, broad, elongated upper jaw, which it uses to flail and pierce its prey of smaller fish, rising beneath a school to kill and then devour them.
This fish is unlike any other species in the ocean and doesn't resemble any other billfish. …show more content…
This fish migrates frequently, often moving to warmer waters in the winter and cooler waters in the summer. It is present in frontal zones, areas where ocean currents collide and the productivity is high. This fish can be found worldwide, it can vary from oceans like the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Studies have shown a few swordfish make substantial seasonal migration. In the Pacific, swordfish appear to move northward from Baja California in the spring to California in the summer and fall, then move off-shore to spawn. Swordfish in the eastern Pacific generally stay inshore near the bottom during the day. At dusk, they head seaward. After sunset, they feed near the surface and return to inshore areas at …show more content…
Females may carry as many as one million to twenty-nine million eggs in their gonads. During spawning season, solitary males and females pair up with each other. Spawning occurs in the Gulf of Mexico, the Florida coast, and the Caribbean Sea all year round. One of the most recognizable sites where spawning takes place is in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Italy. Males are known for chasing females during July and August. The embryonic development occurs during the two and a half days following fertilization .The pelagic larvae are four millimeters long at hatching and live near the surface. At this stage in time, their body is only lightly pigmented, and the snout is relatively short and the body has many distinct scales. As the growth continues, the upper portion of the bill grows faster than the lower bill, ultimately producing the elongated upper