Page 343 - (DK) Ocean - The Definitive Visual Guide

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With its large scales and intensely Tarpon spawn mostly in open water other shoaling fish such as sardines,
ORDER ELOPIFORMES
silvery body, the tarpon resembles an at sea. A large female can produce over anchovies, and mullet. They will also
Tarpon oversized herring but, in fact, is closely 12 million eggs, but larval and juvenile eat some bottom-living invertebrates
related to the eels. It has an upturned mortality is high. The larvae, which such as crabs. Considered an excellent
mouth, and the base of the single are thin and transparent and very like game fish in US and Caribbean
Megalops atlanticus
LENGTH dorsal fin is drawn out into a long eel larvae except that they have forked waters, tarpon make spectacular leaps
Up to 8 ft (2.5 m) filament, although this is not always tails, drift inshore into estuarine when hooked. They are also fished
WEIGHT easy to see. Living close inshore, this nursery grounds. Tarpon larvae are commercially and, in spite of being
350 lb (160 kg) fish often enters estuaries, lagoons, also found in pools and lakes that rather bony, are considered delicious.
DEPTH and rivers. If it enters stagnant water, become temporarily cut off from the Tarpon can live for 55 years and are
0–100 ft (0–30 m) it surfaces and gulps air, which passes sea. Fishermen get to know the areas often displayed in public aquariums.
DISTRIBUTION Coastal waters of western and from the esophagus into its swim where tarpon shoals can regularly be Their large scales are sometimes used
eastern Atlantic bladder; this then acts like a lung. seen from year to year, hunting for in ornamental work.

ORDER ELOPIFORMES ORDER ALBULIFORMES
Ladyfish Bonefish
Elops saurus Albula vulpes
LENGTH LENGTH
Up to 3 ft (1 m) Up to 3 ft (1 m)
WEIGHT WEIGHT
22 lb (10 kg) 22 lb (10 kg)
DEPTH DEPTH
0–165 ft (0–50 m) 0–280 ft (0–85 m)
DISTRIBUTION Coastal waters of western Atlantic DISTRIBUTION Tropical and subtropical coastal
and Caribbean Sea waters of western and eastern Atlantic
The ladyfish has a single dorsal fin As its common name suggests, this fish
in the middle of its back and a tail that is extremely bony. It is streamlined
is deeply forked. Shoals of this slim, and silvery, with dark markings on its
silvery blue fish can be found close back, a single dorsal fin, and a blunt
to the shore and will skip along the snout extending over the mouth.
surface if alarmed by a boat’s engine Bonefish have been found in tropical
noise. The adult fish move offshore to and subtropical waters of the Pacific
spawn in open water, and the young Ocean, but it is not yet known if these
larvae, which resemble eel larvae, populations are a different species
eventually drift back into sheltered from those found in the eastern and
bays and lagoons. Also known as the western Atlantic. Although bonefish
ten-pounder, the ladyfish is considered do not make good eating, they are
a good game fish and will leap out one of the world’s most important OCEAN LIFE
of the water when hooked. It is game fish. Fishermen enjoy stalking
fished commercially, but it is not them through the shallows in bays and
a very high-quality food fish and estuaries as they often swim at the
so is often used for bait. surface with the dorsal fin showing.