Title: Saltwater
Species #: 3
Common Name: Atlantic Blue Marlin Scientific Name: Makaira nigricans Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Vertebrata
Order: Perciformes
Family: Istiophoridae • Body Form or Style: Fusiform Geography BlueStyle: Marlin live mainly in the tropical and temperate waters of the • Swim/ Habitat: / Locomotion Thunniform Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Larvae are found in the tropical and subtropical waters of • Mouth Position: Terminal the western and central Pacific Ocean, south of Maldives Islands, around the Mascalene Islands, and off the south coasts of Java and Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. They are usually Citation: remaining far from land except where the continental shelf is narrow. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/pictures/Makaira_nigricans.html Life Strategy: The spawning season extends from July through October in the North Atlantic. In the Pacific Ocean, spawning occurs from December to January during the southern hemisphere’s summer. Sexual maturity is reached at 2-4 years of age. The eggs are bouyant in the water and drift until hatching with no parental care. Food / Feed Strategy: The numbers and types of species consumed vary, depending on the location and season. Fish is the most frequent prey, and can constitute up to 86% of the total volume of food consumed. They also eat squid.
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Body Form or Style: Fusiform Swim / Locomotion Style: Thunniform Mouth Position: Terminal
Citation: http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/pictures/Makaira_nigricans.html