Swordfish (Xiphias gladius)

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Istiophoriformes
Family:	Xiphiidae
Genus:	Xiphias
Species:	X. gladius

Swordfish (Xiphias gladius), also called “broadbills” in some places, are large predatory fish that move around a lot and have a long, flat, pointed beak. Even though they are hard to catch, billfish are a popular sport fish. Swordfish are long and have round bodies. As adults, they lose all of their teeth and scales.

You can find these fish in both tropical and temperate parts of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. They occur near the surface to a depth of 550 m (1,800 ft), but sometimes they are present as deep as 2,234 m. They are usually 3 m (10 ft) long, but the longest and heaviest one that experts ever saw was 4.55 m (14 ft 11 in) long and 650 kg (1,430 lb) heavy.

What Does A Swordfish Look Like?

The upper jaw of these big fish, or broadbill or broadbill swordfish, has a sword-like a shape and is over 2 feet long. This flat, oval-shaped “sword” is helpful in stabbing prey. Their name comes from the Greek word for “sword,” which is xiphos.

The back of a sword fish is brownish-black, and the bottom is white. They have a tail with two forks and a tall first dorsal fin. They can grow more than 14 feet long and are 1,400 pounds heavy. Males are smaller than females. When they are young, Swordfish have spines and small teeth, but adults do not. They are some of the fastest fish in the ocean. When they jump, they can reach speeds of 60 mph.

Sword Fish Habitat

Between 60°N and 45°S, Swordfish live in tropical and temperate waters in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. In the summer, these animals move to cooler water, and in the winter, they move to warmer water.

You can see Swordfish at the surface and in deeper water. They can swim in deep, cold parts of the ocean because their brains are warmed by special tissue in their heads.

Diet: What Does Swordfish Eat

Most of what Swordfish eat are small fish with bones and cephalopods. They eat wherever they find food, including at the surface, the middle of the water column, and the bottom of the ocean. They might be able to “herd” fish with their sails.

Swordfishes engulf the smaller prey while they break the bigger prey with the sword.

Swordfish Reproduction

When males and females spawn, they release sperm and eggs into the water near the surface of the ocean. A female may lay millions of eggs, which a male’s sperm will fertilize in the water. Swordfish spawn at different times depending on where they live. If they live in warmer waters, they may spawn all year or only in the summer (in cooler waters).

When they hatch, the young are about.16 inches long, and when they are about.5 inches long, their upper jaw gets longer in a way that is easy to see. The sailfish’s characteristic long jaw doesn’t start to form until the young are about 1/4 inch long.

Young Swordfish have a dorsal fin that runs the length of their bodies. Over time, this fin grows into a large first dorsal fin and a second, smaller dorsal fin. It is thought that sword fish become adults at 5 years old and live for about 15 years.

Sword Fish Threats

Experts have been observing almost 50 different kinds of parasites in Swordfish. For instance, Invertebrates like tapeworms, roundworms, Myxozoans, and copepods are also present, along with remoras, lampreys, and cookie-cutter sharks. Comparing the parasites of Swordfish in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean indicates that some parasites (Anisakis spp) are helpful as biological tags.

This is because they show that there is a stock of Swordfish in the Mediterranean. Few animals can eat adult Swordfish. Adult Swordfish are sometimes eaten by killer whales, which are sea mammals. Moreover, the shortfin mako is a very fast type of shark that sometimes eats Swordfish. Dead or dying shortfin makos occur with pieces of broken swords in their heads, showing how dangerous this type of food is.

Besides, young Swordfish are much more likely to be eaten by predators, and many different types of fish eat them. There may be more fighting between swordfishes and sharks because there is less food for them to eat because of intensive fishing. Similarly, people also make nice swordfish recipes from them. Humans mostly eat the swordfish and catch them by fishing.

Conservation

Both commercial and recreational fishermen catch Swordfish, and there are fisheries in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Moreover, they are a popular game of fish and seafood, but pregnant women, young children, and mothers may want to limit how much they eat because they may contain a lot of methylmercury.

The IUCN Red List says that Swordfish is of “least concern” because many swordfish stocks (except those in the Mediterranean Sea) are stable, rebuilding, or are being managed well.

Read more GROUNDHOG (MARMOTA MONAX)

Can Sword Fish Hurt You?

There haven’t been many reports of Swordfish attacking people, and none of them have died. Even though there have been no reports of Swordfish attacking people for no reason, they can be very dangerous and can jump and pierce their target with their swords.

What Eats Swordfish?

Because of this, adult swordfish have few natural enemies other than people and the occasional orca. Sharks, marlins, sailfishes, tuna, and Mahi mahi are more likely to eat young Swordfish than other fish. Sword fish live in the open ocean in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans at temperate and tropical latitudes.

Is Swordfish The Same As Marlin?

Marlins are a type of fish in the family of Istiophoridae. There are about ten species in this family. They are related to Swordfish, but they are not the same species or in the same family. (The only member of the Xiphiidae family is the Swordfish.) Marlins are interesting because they are among the fastest fish in the ocean.

Do Swordfish Have Worms?

Sometimes Swordfish have parasitic worms that are very big and, even though they are harmless, don’t look very appealing. Any of these found in meat should be cut out before cooking the fish.

Can A Swordfish Regrow Its Sword?

Fishermen often catch Swordfish with broken swords, so it’s not a death sentence to break one, but it does help the fish swim faster and feed. And, at least for adults, they don’t seem to grow back.

Do Swordfish Stab Their Prey?

Swordfish typically consume their meal whole. However, they have been observed using their bill as a weapon when attacking larger fish. Swordfish thrash their bill back and forth when attacking rather than stabbing it at their prey.

FAQs

Do Swordfish Have Predators?

As they mature, only giant-toothed whales and a few species of open-ocean sharks are capable of devouring an adult swordfish.

What Is A Group Of Swordfish Called?

Swordfish schools are nicknamed flotillas because of their large numbers.

How Many Teeth Does A Swordfish Have?

Due to the absence of teeth in adults, Swordfish is not dangerous. Still, they are savage swordsfish who only eat meat.

What Does Swordfish Taste Like

To a lesser extent than other fish, Swordfish does contain some fat. It has a flavor between salmon and mako shark, without bluefin tuna’s heavy, fatty quality. If you don’t like seafood with a robust fish flavor, Swordfish is an excellent alternative.