Sailfish

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Sailfish

Indopacific Sailfish

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Istiophoridae
Genus:	Istiophorus

Sailfish (genus Istiophorus) are fish living in all the oceans of the world. They are blue to gray in colour and have a characteristic sail ( dorsal fin) on top of them, often stretching the entire length of their back. The sailfish is a rapidly growing species, reaching 1.2 to 1.5 m in a single year. They can swim at speeds of up to 70 km/h, making them the fastest fish in the ocean. They feed on the surface or at mid-depths on smaller pelagic fishes and squid.

The sailfish can sometimes be confused with white marlin, Tetrapterus albidus or juvenile blue marlin, Makaira nigricans, but is generally clearly marked out by its spectacular sail-like dorsal fin.

Species

Istiophorus albicans (Atlantic sailfish)
Istiophorus platypterus (Indopacific sailfish)

Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailfish"

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