Fun Barred Knifejaw Facts For Kids

Moumita Dutta
May 04, 2023 By Moumita Dutta
Originally Published on Aug 05, 2021
Edited by Isobel Murphy
Fact-checked by Diya Patel
Barred knifejaw facts tell us a lot about the marine world.
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 5.6 Min

The barred knifejaw belongs to the family of Oplegnathidae and is a native species of the northwestern Pacific Ocean. This fish is also known by the name 'striped beakfish' due to the alternating black and white vertical stripes on its body. This fish is one of the surviving specimens that survived for almost two years in a Japanese boat named Sai-Shou-Maru. The boat was partially submerged during the devastating 2011 tsunami and earthquake in Japan and was finally discovered on the coast of Washington in 2013. It has a color scheme of black and white and has seven white stripes or bars on its body. They have strong teeth, which help them in eating hard-shelled prey.

The barred knifejaw (Oplegnathus fasciatus), or the striped beakfish as its common name is, has gained popularity due to its occurrence in the widely played game: 'Animal Crossing'. This fish is considered to be a star caught in 'Animal Crossing'. The Oplegnathus fasciatus fish has a price of about 5,000 bells at Tom Nook's store in 'Animal Crossing'. The barred knifejaw, along with several other fish, can also be donated to the museum in the game and appears in the back tank in 'Animal Crossing: City Folk', 'Animal Crossing: New Leaf', and 'Animal Crossing: Wild World'. In 'Animal Crossing: New Horizons', you can find details about this fish on the information board.

Learn about other fish on our neon tetra and lemon shark facts too!

Barred Knifejaw Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a barred knifejaw?

The barred knifejaw is a fish.

What class of animal does a barred knifejaw belong to?

The barred knifejaw belongs to the Actinopterygii class.

How many barred knifejaws are there in the world?

The exact population of barred knifejaw fish is currently unknown.

Where does a barred knifejaw live?

The barred knifejaw can be found throughout the northwest Pacific in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and the eastern Central Pacific in Hawaii.

What is a barred knifejaw's habitat?

This fish lives in rocky reefs in temperate climates at a depth of 3-30 ft (0.91-9.14 m).

Who do barred knifejaws live with?

Knifejaws are mostly solitary but can sometimes be found in small groups during their life.

How long does a barred knifejaw live?

A barred knifejaw has a life expectancy of six years.

How do they reproduce?

The spawning period is from April to July and these fish reproduce in the coastal zone. Their hatched larvae are born without a mouth and they grow up to about 0.12 in (0.3 cm) in size in the first four days.

What is their conservation status?

The barred knifejaw, also known as the striped beakfish, has not been evaluated by the IUCN yet.

Barred Knifejaw Fun Facts

What does a barred knifejaw look like?

The barred knifejaw has stripes all over its body. These light and dark vertical bars resemble black and white stripes. The adult barred knifejaw is charcoal gray. As these fish grow, their bodies change from yellow to grayish-white, and the areas around their mouth start to darken. Their strong jaw has teeth that can help break down hard-shelled organisms like crustaceans, mollusks, and sea urchins. Juveniles have a yellowish-silver body which helps them in camouflaging with kelp. They have a distinct beak-like jaw.

Colorful fishes in an aquarium.

* Please note that this is an image of a fish, not a barred knifejaw specifically. If you have an image of a barred knifejaw please let us know at hello@kidadl.com.

How cute are they?

The black and white alternating vertical stripes on their body make their appearance quite cute.

How do they communicate?

Very little information is available on the communication pattern of knifejaws. Fish, in general, mostly communicate through chemicals, motions, and gestures.

How big is a barred knifejaw?

The barred knifejaw has a length of about 31 in (78.74 cm).

How fast can a barred knifejaw swim?

During spawning season, the adult barred knifejaw can travel about 9-12 miles (14.48-19.31 km) a day, but its exact speed is not known.

How much does a barred knifejaw weigh?

The highest ever recorded weight for a barred knifejaw or the striped beakfish was 14 lb (6.35 kg).

What are the male and female names of the species?

Male and female barred knifejaws do not have specific names.

What would you call a baby barred knifejaw?

Baby barred knifejaw fish are called 'fry'.

What do they eat?

Rather than enjoying eating veggies, barred knifejaws are carnivores, and their diet mainly consists of hard-shelled invertebrates like mollusks and crustaceans. A majority of their diet throughout their life also consists of sea urchins. They have strong teeth that can easily cut up the bodies of their prey.

Are they poisonous?

These ocean fish, despite having an intimidating name and a scary jaw with sharp teeth, is not poisonous. They are considered to be commercially important by anglers and do not cause any harm to human beings.

Would they make a good pet?

The barred knifejaw is not suitable for a pet.

Did you know...

Humans can eat barred knifejaw, but it is not a popular choice.

This fish gained popularity after appearing in every version of the game 'Animal Crossing'. In the game, the fish can be donated to the museum and it is found in the games 'City Folk', 'Wild World', 'New Horizons', and 'New Leaf', where the information board displays information about this fish.

The name barred Knifejaw can be heard several times during the game in quotes like:

'Hootie Hoo look at you! Barred knifejaw is a clever fish...'

'I caught a barred knifejaw! I'll have to use it to cut veggies!'

'I caught a barred knifejaw! I'm really cut up over how to turn that into a pun!'

What are the top 10 rarest fish in Animal Crossing?

Let's take a look at some of the top rarest fish in 'Animal Crossing':

Gigas giant clams are the rarest fish found in 'Animal Crossing' and have a very expensive price. It is a matter of pure luck to be able to find this large fish.

Football fish can be found for 25,000 bells a pop. Though these aren't super expensive, they are a truly peculiar thing that closely resembles the deep-sea anglers' fish.

A golden trout have a price of about 15,000 bells a piece and can be found in 'New Horizons'. This fish is an angler's dream to have.

Pearls are a star catch and have a price of about 10,000 bells.

Great white shark fish have a selling price of 15,000 bells and are among the rarest of the 'New Horizons' shark family.

Apart from these, barreleye, coelacanth, shark, blue marlin, and string fish are some of the rarest ocean fish that can be found in the 'Animal Crossing' museum.

Are barred knifejaws rare?

The barred knifejaw is a semi-rare fish in 'Animal Crossing'. It has a color scheme of black and white and has vertical stripes all over its body.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these stingray facts and sockeye salmon facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable barred knifejaw coloring pages.

* Please note that the main image is of a fish, not a barred knifejaw specifically. If you have an image of a barred knifejaw please let us know at hello@kidadl.com 

Barred Knifejaw Facts

What Did They Prey On?

Crustaceans and mollusks

What Type of Animal were they?

Carnivore

Average Litter Size?

N/A

How Much Did They Weigh?

14 lb (6.35 kg)

What habitat Do they Live In?

rocky reefs

Where Do They Live?

japan, korea, taiwan, and hawaii

How Long Were They?

31 in (78.74 cm)

How Tall Were They?

N/A

Class

Actinopterygii

Genus

Oplegnathus

Family

Oplegnathidae

Scientific Name

Oplegnathus fasciatus

What Do They Look Like?

Black and white stripes

Skin Type

Wet, slimy scales

What Are Their Main Threats?

commercial fishing

What is their Conservation Status?

Not Evaluated
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Written by Moumita Dutta

Bachelor of Arts specializing in Journalism and Mass Communication, Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Management

Moumita Dutta picture

Moumita DuttaBachelor of Arts specializing in Journalism and Mass Communication, Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Management

A content writer and editor with a passion for sports, Moumita has honed her skills in producing compelling match reports and stories about sporting heroes. She holds a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management, Calcutta University, alongside a postgraduate diploma in Sports Management.

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