The fastest fish is 130 km per hour. The fastest fish. What provides such fantastic speed?
The sailfish is known for its enormous speed and amazing dorsal fin, similar to a sail. The sailboat lives in tropical and subtropical seas and ocean waters; it can also be found in the Black Sea waters, where it enters from the Indian Ocean, passing through the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Dardanelles Strait.
The sailboat reaches 3.5 m and weighs about 100 kg, capable of reaching speeds of up to 110 km/h, which was proven during tests in the state of Florida in the USA.
The sailfish is a predator; it feeds on sardines, anchovies, mackerel, mackerel, various crustaceans and cephalopods. It is a commercial fish and is caught using the longline method along with tuna and swordfish.
In addition, sailfish fishing has long been a favorite sport for many fishermen, who, in order to try their luck, are ready to travel across the world to Australia or New Zealand, to Cuba or Seychelles. By the way, in Havana, Cuba, in memory of the record-breaking sailfish caught by Ernest Hemingway himself, an amateur fishing championship is held annually.
Photo source: http://s46.radikal.ru/
Marlins are close relatives of sailfish. They do not have such a huge dorsal fin, but in terms of speed and size they are practically not inferior.
Some specimens (blue Atlantic marlin, black marlin) reach 5 m or more in length, weigh up to 800 kg, and they can reach speeds of up to 85 km/h, and this helps them with special structure body - elongated shape, spear-shaped muzzle, long hard dorsal fin.
Despite the fact that a dish made from this fish is considered a delicacy and is served exclusively in the most luxurious and expensive restaurants, many fishermen and sports fishermen release the fish into the sea, having first weighed and recorded the weight of the caught specimen and taken a photograph with it as a souvenir.
It is interesting that it was the marlin that was hunted by the hero of the story “The Old Man and the Sea” by Hemingway; in addition, the marlin is not depicted in the coats of arms of the Seychelles and the Bahamas.
Photo source: http://www.gofishing.co.uk/
Few people would turn down a piece of smoked mackerel, but few people really know that it is not so easy to catch.
Mackerel is a schooling fish and can be easily caught in a net. But if she senses danger, then it is quite difficult to catch up with her on a ship - in a couple of minutes the mackerel reaches a speed of 75-80 km/h.
Mackerel is found mainly in warm seas(Black, Mramornoe, Mediterranean), during summer migrations it is found in northern seas(White, Baltic, Northern, Barents). Mackerel feeds mainly on small fish and zooplankton.
Mackerel is valuable commercial fish, in most cases it comes to our table in smoked or salted form, but it is perfect for boiling and frying, although it becomes somewhat dry. Mackerel meat is very healthy, it contains about 16% fat and a lot of vitamin B12, while the meat is tender, soft and without small bones.
Photo source: http://img.21food.com/
Atlantic bluefin tuna
Atlantic bluefin tuna is a species that is on the verge of extinction. According to scientists, today its number does not exceed 6-7% of the original and the main reason is the use of tuna for making sushi, which is becoming more and more popular in the world every year. Tuna meat has an amazing red color that does not lose its brightness even when fried.
Tuna lives north of the equator and can be found both in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, and off the coast of Greenland and in the Barents Sea.
The Atlantic bluefin tuna is as impressive in size as it is in the speed it can develop – with a length of over 4 meters and a weight of over 500 kg, it can travel 70 km/h.
Scientists believe that one of the reasons for this speed is the increased body temperature of the fish, which is always several degrees higher surrounding water. Tuna feed on various crustaceans, small fish and cephalopods.
The largest tuna that was caught by an amateur fisherman weighed 335 kg, which is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. In addition, Atlantic bluefin tuna became the most expensive fish in 2013; almost $2 million was paid for a 222-kilogram specimen at an auction in Japan.
Photo source: http://img263.imageshack.us/
December 14th, 2012
Alexander Safonov is the author of unique underwater photographs.
We haven't added to our collection for a long time. And now the time has come! Let's meet...
The sailfish (lat. Istiophorus) belongs to the order of perciformes, which includes two species of fish that live in the central and western parts Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean waters. A distinctive feature of this fish is a high and long fin, running from the back of the head almost along the entire back, like a sail, which is why it got its name. This fin has a bright blue color, complemented by dark dots.
The dimensions of the Sailboat can exceed three meters, and the weight can be about one hundred kilograms.Home distinctive feature the fastest fish in the world - a large dorsal fin similar to a sail.
When swimming fast, the sail is retracted into a special recess on the back of the fish. During sharp turns, it straightens out helping the fish move in the right direction. This amazing fish also has a long upper jaw, reminiscent of a pike. This growth helps the fish in hunting and in creating turbulence around itself.
Sailboats are helped by their streamlined and very aerodynamic (or more appropriately, aquadynamic) body, covered with grooves of small tooth-like outgrowths. Water is retained in these grooves, and it turns out that it is not the body of the sailboat itself, but the “water film” that clings to it, that is in contact with the water, which significantly reduces the coefficient of friction. Also, the fish’s far-protruding, pointed jaws make it possible to achieve the effect of turbulence, and the tail fin, which has the shape of a narrow crescent, although it oscillates with a small amplitude, does so at a very high speed.
Well, in the end, sailboats have negative buoyancy (due to the lack of a swim bladder), compensating for this with an asymmetrical body structure, with a lifting force like that of an airplane wing. This morphological structure fish and provides it with superiority in high-speed swimming among all aquatic creatures.
The sailfish is a large fish; by the age of one year, young fish reach up to 2 meters in length, and adults are found more than 3 meters long. Most often there are individuals weighing up to 25 kg. This is a predator fish that swims at enormous speeds, up to 100 km/h.
It has been noted that a fish can observe a straightened sail at those moments when it is scared or excited. Then outer size fish increases threefold.
Also, one of the theories that sounds convincing claims that the fish’s sail plays the role of a radiator, cooling the fish’s blood. In fact, the fin contains many small blood vessels. Considering that the acceleration of a fish greatly heats its blood, a straightened fin really helps the fish not to “boil.”
The Sailboat does not have a swim bladder - for the fastest fish it would only be a hindrance. The structure of the fish and its movements contribute to the formation of turbulent vortices, which help reduce water resistance.
This allows the Sailboat to develop a record speed for fish and be the fastest fish in the world. This fish spawns in warm waters from August to September. During one spawning season, the female Sailfish lays up to five million eggs.
This amazing fish eats small fish such as anchovies, sardines, mackerel, as well as mollusks and crustaceans. The lifespan of the fastest fish reaches 13 years.
Catch this one amazing fish on a spinning rod - the dream of any angler. One can only envy such a trophy.
In Costa Rica, for example, this fish is under protection of the law, and its fishing is strictly controlled. Sports tournaments for catching Sailfish are held here. After the fish is caught, it is measured and photographed, then released.
Another attraction of the sailfish is its elongated upper jaw, which gives it a resemblance to a marlin. In sport fishing, sailfish are even classified as billfish. Among fishermen, this trophy is no worse than black marlin.
In the sailfish, one also notices the water games characteristic of marlins, when the fish jumps high and “walks” through the water on its tail. Caught on a fishing tackle, she tries to get rid of the hook with high pirouettes and candles. In terms of strength and tenacity, fishing for a sailfish is reminiscent of hunting large marlin.
In general, sailfish fishing has become widespread thanks to the writer Ernest Hemingway who were fond of catching this fish in Cuba.
These fish are very bad parents, they do not care about their offspring at all. Maybe that's why they are very prolific. A female can lay up to 100 million eggs in one spawning. But most of them die. Larger predatory fish like to feast on eggs and fry.
Sailfish- object of intensive fishing. They are often mined together with tuna and swordfish using longline fishing. Amateur fishermen often catch sailfish using spinning rods. Off the coasts of Florida, Cuba, California, Hawaii, Tahiti, Peru, New Zealand and Australia, those interested can go sea fishing to try their hand at catching this magnificent fish.
It seems that sailboats are protected by the law of this country and their catching is strictly controlled. As they say, after measurements and a “photo shoot,” the caught fish is released back into the water. Then, using the data obtained, you can create exact copy caught fish. However, from some photos it seems to me personally that they are not releasing all of them :-(
The wave-like movements of the body, with the help of which fish move, are concentrated closer to the tail of the sailfish. In this regard, the caudal fin has the appearance of narrow planes, almost perpendicular to the body. Negative buoyancy is compensated by muscular efforts and asymmetry of the body relative to the horizontal plane; the anatomical features of the sailfish and other sword- and spear-snout fish allow them to be the fastest.
Sailfish food includes sardines, mackerel, anchovies, mackerel, crustaceans and cephalopods. Any schooling fish of medium size from upper layers ocean - the prey of a sailboat that is able to gain more high speed movements. For hunting, sailboats can act together. The sailfish looks spectacular when it flies out of the water with an extended fin, which can reach a height of up to 1.5 meters and noisily falls back into the ocean.
The sailfish spawns in warm near-equatorial ocean waters from August to September. At this time, fish may approach coastal areas. Sailfish are very prolific; during spawning, the female lays up to 100 million eggs, most of offspring die on early stages development. The caviar of the sailfish is small in size, non-sticky, and develops in the pelagic zone (thicker waters).
sources
http://pats0n.livejournal.com/
http://dooi.com.ua/archives/43788
http://www.inokean.ru/animal/fish/72-parus
http://www.softmixer.com/2011/01/blog-post_5752.html
http://jevayaplaneta.ru/ryba-parusnik
Answering the question “which fish is the fastest in the world” is quite difficult. After all, it is not easy to measure the speed of these animals, be it wild fish V open ocean, near the sea coast or even in an aquarium. But in this article you can find more detailed information about the fastest fish species on Earth.
sailboat
Many sources indicate that the sailfish is the fastest fish in the ocean. The ReefQuest Shark Research Center studied the speed of the sailboat and determined that it was 109 km/h during the jump.
The sailfish can grow up to 3.5 meters in length and weigh about 100 kg. Their most noticeable characteristics are the large first dorsal fin (sail-like) and the upper jaw, which is long and sharp. The swallowtail has a gray-blue back and white underparts.
Swallowtails live in temperate and tropical waters Atlantic and Pacific oceans. They feed mainly on small bone fish and cephalopods.
Swordfish
Swordfish are another fast species, although their exact speed is not known. Estimated calculations have determined that they can swim at a speed of about 100 km/h, and some sources indicate that these fish are capable of reaching speeds of 130 km/h.
The swordfish has a highly elongated upper jaw, which it uses to stun prey, as well as a high dorsal fin. The color of the back is brownish-black, and the lower part of the body is light.
Swordfish is common in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea.
Black Marlin
This BBC video says black marlin is the fastest fish on the planet. This information is based on marlin caught on line. It is said to be capable of pulling line from a reel at a speed of 36.5 m/s, which is equal to 131.4 km/h.
Black marlin is common in the waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its maximum body length is 4.65 m and its weight is 750 kg.
Wahoo
Wahoo ( Acanthocybium solandri) lives in tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, as well as in the Caribbean and Mediterranean seas. The color of the back is bluish-green, the sides and belly are light. Wahoo grow to a maximum length of about 2.4 m, but more commonly around 1.5 m.
The maximum speed of this fish is about 77 km/h. This was confirmed by scientists who studied the speed of wahoo and the results obtained ranged from 43 to 77 km/h.
Tuna
Bluefin tuna
Bluefin tuna and yellowfin tuna are very fast swimmers, and although they seem to slowly circle the ocean, these fish are capable of reaching speeds of more than 65 km/h. A study was conducted that compared the speed of wahoo and yellowfin tuna, with the latter exceeding 74 km/h. The maximum speed of the bluefin tuna (during the jump) was 70 km/h.
Bluefin tuna can reach a body length of more than 3 m. This species can be found in the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Yellowfin tuna are found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world. The maximum body length of these fish is 2 m.
Longfin tuna, another species of the tuna genus, can reach speeds of up to 65 km/h. This species is distributed in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea and is commonly used for the production of canned food. It grows to about 1.2 m in length and can weigh up to 40 kg.
Bonito
Bonito, common name for fish from the genus bonito (or sard), which includes species such as: Atlantic, Australian, eastern and Chilean bonito. Representatives of the genus are capable of jumping at a speed of about 65 km/h. Bonito have a body length of about 1 m.
The most fast fish in the world - this is a very interesting object of study for those who want to learn the secrets of the abyss. The deep blue sea is a treasure trove for study not only by oceanologists, but also by ordinary people. You just have to show a desire to look into what is visibly and invisibly moving at an enviable speed on the seabed.
The decision of wise nature for her own good
The fastest fish in the world actively dissect water surface By various reasons, who themselves do not realize:
- Protection. Having even small sizes, it is possible to survive in the world of toothy predators while moving quickly. Without protection in the form of spikes, a massive jaw or poisonous bite, the fish are fleeing. In some cases, quite successfully if they can gain the necessary speed.
- Attack. The meal is definitely canceled if you work your fins sluggishly. A sharp attack on the victim does not leave her the slightest chance of salvation. Seals They maneuver very deftly in the water surface, but often find themselves victims of more active sharks and killer whales.
- Body structure. This aspect should still be placed in first place when listing the reasons for the rapid movement of fish. There are no dimensions special significance. The main favorable factor in the ability to quickly frolic in the surface of the water is the low level of friction. The leaders of fast acceleration are those who lack a swim bladder.
The fastest fish in the world have many advantages over the rest of the underwater brethren. They understand the expression “if you want to live, know how to turn around” in the literal sense.
Presentation of sprinter fish
The nimble fish, which took an honorable twelfth place, is able to fit into the city movement limit of 50 km/h. However, the occupant Atlantic Ocean with silvery scales swims quite briskly. She doesn’t have much choice, because the tarpon’s shiny outfit and 160 kg weight attract fishermen so much that they have to deftly escape from them. Both varieties - the Indo-Pacific and the Atlantic - move quickly from everyone who wants to taste their meat.
The magnificent predator attacks with lightning speed and deservedly takes eleventh place in the ranking. 53 km/h is not a question for her when she wants to have lunch. If you add to the stated indicator a carnivorous grin with two rows of dagger teeth, then you should beware of meeting a tiger shark.
It should be noted that the lover of seals and other living creatures moves quite actively, but is a mammal. Its speed of 55 km/h and its steel jaws are a serious threat to everything. water world. An additional danger is the ability of killer whales to live in quite cold aquatic environment. The hunt of a sea predator for seals is an impressive spectacle in terms of the speed of reaction of the mammal at the sight of its next victim.
The white-winged beauty from the tropical subspecies absolutely does not live up to its name. She is a real sprinter, because if desired, she accelerates to 55-60 km/h. We have to call it a rather frisky pig with fins.
60 km/h – rating price with eighth place for a tropical inhabitant, which is used in sport fishing. Such data allows the albula to escape from a tiger shark, which is otherwise not interested in it.
7. Swordfish
Being in the 7th position, a rather large inhabitant of the sea surface rushes along it at a speed of 65 km/h. Such zeal is amazing because swordfish can weigh up to 650 kg. An excellent result for such impressive dimensions. Some unofficial statements attribute speeds of 110-130 km/h to the swordfish. Anything is possible, because keeping up with such zealous creatures with a stopwatch is very difficult.
6. Blue (blue) shark
The voiced predator loves to feast on its smaller brothers, because it reaches speeds of up to 69 km/h and tears them to pieces. It rarely hits a person, but it’s better not to drink with her during the brotherhood and swim races if you want to compete in skill.
The nimble fish can accelerate its body up to 74 km/h. Inhabited in southern seas, the weasel weighs quite a bit – up to 400 kg. The Pacific inhabitant is something special, because during seasonal migration it can cover a huge distance in a short period of time.
The fellow blue variety of the sprinter is still not particularly impressive in size. However, he will not give up his well-deserved fourth place to anyone thanks to a speed of up to 75 km/h. The fish is called yellowfin, but one should not belittle its dignity, because it takes the most impressive depths and distances at once.
The sea weevil is not particularly shy about its exotic appearance, because it cuts through the expanses of water with the alacrity of 77 km/h and takes third position in the hit parade. Such a high rating is not at all surprising, because the body of the fish is sometimes 4-5 meters long. However, large individuals weigh quite a bit.
Skeptics will smile at the statement that the familiar fish works perfectly with its fins and tail. However, it is difficult to keep up with her when she is rushing through the water at a speed of 80 km/h. To keep up with horse mackerel, you will have to work hard. The price for its carcass corresponds to the effort expended, but the wallet will clearly suffer if you want to feast on the shrew.
First place for the most admirable fish. The very name of the inhabitant of the seas suggests that the sailboat rushes through the waves at the speed of sound. The maximum speed of the miracle fish is 112 km/h.
The fastest fish in the world - amazing creatures, which never cease to amaze humanity. It doesn't matter why they move so quickly. Just watching their lightning-fast movement makes you think about your own slowness.
The cheetah is considered the fastest animal on earth - on its long straight legs it can accelerate more than a hundred kilometers per hour! Such a speed for a living creature seems incredible to us, but just think, in the depths of the water there live fish that can outrun a fleet-footed predator, while weighing twice as much. Let's take a closer look at the inhabitants of the seas and oceans and find out what it is - the fastest fish in the world?
General information
Fish are not only our source of food. They are also fun and amazing creatures nature, which sometimes you just want to contemplate. But the most exciting "attribute" of fish is their ability to swim quickly at incredible speeds.
They use their incredible speed to chase food or escape from predators. In general, the ability of fish to swim quickly is their way of surviving in the wild, or rather in the waters.
We present to your attention a list of the fastest fish in the world, as well as their maximum swimming speed. Some of the things listed here may surprise you, but the truth is that fish really are one of the... greatest miracles nature.
The fastest fish in the world actively cut through the surface of the water for various reasons that they themselves are not aware of:
- Protection. Having even small sizes, it is possible to survive in the world of toothy predators while moving quickly. Without protection in the form of spines, a massive jaw or a poisonous bite, the fish flee. In some cases, quite successfully if they can gain the necessary speed.
- Attack. The meal is definitely canceled if you work your fins sluggishly. A sharp attack on the victim does not leave her the slightest chance of salvation. Fur seals maneuver very deftly in the surface of the water, but often find themselves victims of more active sharks and killer whales.
- Body structure. This aspect should still be placed in first place when listing the reasons for the rapid movement of fish. Dimensions don't really matter. The main favorable factor in the ability to quickly frolic in the surface of the water is the low level of friction.
The leaders of fast acceleration are those who lack a swim bladder. The fastest fish in the world have many advantages over the rest of the underwater brethren. They understand the expression “if you want to live, know how to turn around” in the literal sense.
The name "Tiger Shark" immediately fills us with fear - we all know what dangerous predator this is actually a fish. In itself it is very major representative of its kind - it can reach as much as five meters in length and weigh more than 600 kilograms! With these huge sizes the speed that is usually inherent in this predator seems incredible: the tiger shark easily accelerates to 53 kilometers per hour. In fact, she often does not have to accelerate: an active predator will swim really fast only during an attack or stampede; the rest of the time she prefers to leisurely patrol her territory in search of food. Interestingly, a tiger shark can even catch up sea turtle(that famous racer), and her strong teeth are enough to bite through a strong turtle shell.
The tiger shark generally swims calmly, except when attacking for food or to save its life.
Albula
Albulas are also among the fastest fish in the world. For the most part, this fish is used as a catch for sport fishing. They are found in shallow waters of tropical and subtropical regions. The maximum speed of the Albul is 60 kilometers per hour.
Wahoo
The wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) lives in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, as well as in the Caribbean and Mediterranean seas. The color of the back is bluish-green, the sides and belly are light. Wahoo grow to a maximum length of about 2.4 m, but more often around 1.5 m. The maximum speed of this fish is about 77 km/h. This was confirmed by scientists who studied the speed of wahoo and the results obtained ranged from 43 to 77 km/h.
The Atlantic tarpon is in no way inferior in speed to the tiger shark, but at the same time instills much less fear in sea and land inhabitants. Outwardly, it resembles a herring (except perhaps a large one, but show us - what kind of herring can weigh one hundred and sixty kilograms?), but apart from purely external data, these two species of fish are nothing else alike. Atlantic tarpon is far from the fastest fish in the world and will not reach speeds exceeding 55 kilometers per hour, but in search of any food it is capable of short time swim record distances. Tarpon, like the tiger shark, is a predator, except that it is much less dangerous for large aquatic inhabitants - it prefers fry, mollusks and small crustaceans from prey. But hunting for samotarpon often opens up: since this fish prefers to swim close to the shore, it often becomes the catch of fishermen, and its meat is used for food.
Atlantic tarpon is not a game fish species
The blue (aka blue) shark is a dangerous predator and the most common shark of all living sharks. You can meet it both in the deep-sea expanses of the ocean and on coastline– the blue shark doesn’t really care where it hunts, and its main prey is mollusks, crustaceans, bony fish, sometimes she even allows herself to feast on the unlucky sea bird or a whale. The fact that this predator even hunts whales should not be surprising: given its size, it can easily afford it. But no matter how huge it is, it is amazing how quickly it can develop speed and overtake its prey - the blue shark accelerates to 67 kilometers per hour. Of course, we can’t say that it is the fastest fish in the world, but we are willing to bet that those who escape from it will find this shark’s speed quite impressive.
A blue shark can grow up to four meters and weigh more than two hundred kilograms
Yellowfin tuna is a giant member of the tuna family, second in size only to its athletic relative. The yellow tuna itself can grow up to two and a half meters in length, and weigh up to two hundred kilograms - and such dimensions of a predator are very impressive, especially if it is capable of moving these dimensions at a speed of 75 km per hour!
Yellow tuna received its characteristic name for its unusual color - along the entire length of the body this fish has yellow and golden stripes, which are clearly visible against the background of the general gray-blue color. Yellow tuna live mostly in schools, and just imagine what an impressive picture: six to seven fish, two and a half meters in size, trying to catch up with their prey at a speed of seventy-five kilometers per hour! However, we don't think those the tunas hunted had much opportunity or time to be impressed.
In some individuals, additionally yellow fins colored or present large quantity stripes
Striped (aka Atlantic blue) marlin is perhaps the fastest fish in the world, because it can swim at a speed of 85 km per hour! At such a speed, this sailfish easily outpaces most sharks and, at the same time, significantly exceeds them in size - marlin can grow up to five meters in length and weigh more than eight hundred kilograms. It is interesting that this fish develops its enormous speed despite the fact that it lacks a huge dorsal fin, and it is precisely due to this that most fish can accelerate at all. Striped marlin reflected widely in popular culture– he is depicted on several coats of arms.
Widely famous work Ernest Hemingway "The Old Man and the Sea" main character hunts specifically for striped marlin
Horse mackerel is a very small but very nimble fish. Compared to all the previous representatives of our list, it seems very tiny - its dimensions, as a rule, do not exceed fifty centimeters in length, and its weight is about 300-400 grams. No matter how small the fish is, its speed cannot be taken away: horse mackerel is capable of moving at a speed of more than 80 km per hour! It is interesting that even such a baby uses its abilities to quickly overtake the prey, because horse mackerel is a predator that feeds on small mollusks and plankton, and less often on invertebrates. That fish lives mostly in large groups– they form schools and migrate within them – with changes in temperature, horse mackerel prefer to move to more warm waters. It is a commercial fish species, it is often caught, and people like to eat horse mackerel.
Among the cooking methods, salted canned food made from horse mackerel is especially valued.
Although such a name may seem more suitable for some yacht club, the fact remains: the sailfish is the fastest fish in the world, and there is no creature either in the sea or on land that would be able to outrun it. The highest speed of a sailfish is 110 km per hour, which seems simply incredible, because not every car is capable of accelerating like that! And if we add to this the gigantic size - three meters in length and one hundred kilograms of weight - then the picture turns out to be more than impressive.
A feature of the sailfish is the unusual body structure of this fish: it has a powerful and long body, covered with small scales, and on the “nose” there is a huge growth that resembles a spear. Despite the obvious fears that a sharp meter-long “stick” on the nose of a three-meter fish causes, this growth is not a real weapon: it does not help to hunt or defend itself, but serves to make it convenient for the sailfish to “cut” the water in front of it during fast movement. It is partly thanks to it that the fastest fish in the world can accelerate over 100 km per hour: the sharp shape relieves the pressure of turbulent water flows that occurs in the sailfish while moving.
Interesting feature This predator is able to change its color while hunting. When attacking, he can give his body various shades- from silver to almost black, while scientists are still not clear about the purpose of these maneuvers. It is assumed that in this way it is simply trying to confuse its prey so that it does not have to chase it, although it is not that a sailfish could ever fail to catch up with someone.
The sailfish entered the Guinness Book of Records for its phenomenal speed.
Speed records
The sailboat indestructibly holds the speed record among fish. It is followed by its closest relative, the marlin. But both of them are far from the only “racers” in the World Ocean. Not far behind the marlin is the Waho fish, which lives in the waters washing Central America. Her speed record is 78 kilometers per hour.
The familiar common tuna with its 70 kilometers per hour is somewhat behind the Waho. Perhaps if tunas could move a little faster, they would not become the favorite food of killer whales and other predators. But what to do? Killer whales also have to eat something, and if they can’t catch up with the marlins, then let it be tuna.
But the next sea sprinter doesn’t have to run away from anyone. Rather, all other inhabitants of the World Ocean strive to give way to him as quickly as possible. It's about about the great blue shark, whose maximum speed just one kilometer behind the speed of the tuna. (This is how sometimes such a small number decides who lives and who dies). Blue shark she is in a hurry only when she herself wants to eat, and here it is better not to get in her way not only of fish, but also of people. This animal does not distinguish how many limbs its prey has and what species it (the prey) belongs to, but grabs and swallows everyone in a row.
Swordfish can swim somewhat slower, but also at an impressive speed - up to 64 kilometers per hour. And they are only slightly inferior to flying fish, whose speed record is 56 kilometers per hour. Another advantage of a flying fish is that if it suddenly fails to break away from its pursuer in the water, it jumps to the surface and flies through the air. Usually the predator, having lost sight of the flying fish at this moment, begins to look for other prey. And the fish, having flown from 50 to 400 meters (if you are lucky with the air currents), flops back into the water alive and healthy, provided, of course, that seagulls or other equally voracious birds did not manage to eat it during the flight.
In our selection, we have collected the fastest aquatic inhabitants and found out which fish holds the record for speed among its fellows. It is noteworthy that all the individuals that we described are predators and mainly predators of colossal size, two to three meters in length and several hundred kilograms in weight. Opportunity to develop high speeds is given to them only so that they can hunt, and judging by the fact that predatory fish not in our selection - the victims of the fastest aquatic inhabitants are not given the ability to swim quickly, and they have practically no chance of escape. However, many of the individuals we described are commercial, and, despite their gigantic size and phenomenal speed, they also have something to fear - after all, a person can easily turn all of them, three meters long and a couple of hundred kilograms of weight, into ordinary canned fish.