Fun Elops Saurus Facts For Kids

Scientifically known as Elops saurus, ladyfish are also known as tenpounder, skipjacks, and jack-rashes. The species belongs to the genus of Elops and the family of ray-finned fishes known as Elopidae. The species Elops sauras is prominently found in the western North Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, you can spot these fish in the state of Florida and the New England region of the United States. The species generally inhabit brackish water but fishes are found in marine waters as well.

The ladyfish has a long slender body with silvery scales while the upper part is blue in color. The species is known for its terminal mouth and deeply forked tail. The dorsal and anal fin are located in the grooves. The fishes are quite large in size and the average weight and length are 19-22 lb (9-10 kg) and 23-39 in (60-100 cm) respectively. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed the species in the Least Concern category but the population is being reduced by urbanization and loss of habitat.

Keep on reading to learn more interesting facts about the Elops saurus. If you want to know more exciting information about different animals, check out the black ghost knifefish and Bigmouth buffalo fish.

What type of animal is an Elops saurus?

The ladyfish or Elops saurus is a species of fish that belongs to the order Elopiformes. The species is a carnivore and primarily prey on bony fishes, zooplankton, and crustaceans.

What class of animal does an Elops saurus belong to?

The ladyfish belongs to the class of Actinopterygii, the family of ray-finned fishes known as Elopidae, and the genus of Elops.

How many Elops saurus are there in the world?

The exact population of the species is not known as of now but you can find the ladyfish in the western North Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Where does an Elops saurus live?

The silvery ladyfish species is found in several regions of the United States such as Florida, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Cape Cod of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The fishes are also spotted in a few South American countries such as Brazil.

What is an Elops saurus's habitat?

The ladyfish is primarily found in brackish waters but the fish can sometimes also be found in the marine waters.

Who does an Elops saurus live with?

The ladyfish prefer to live in groups. The fishes generally form schools or groups near the shores to prey.

How long does an Elops saurus live?

The ladyfish generally live for around six years.

How do they reproduce?

In the United States, the breeding season of the ladyfish generally occurs between September and December. The ladyfish spawns in the open sea but no information regarding the litter size is available as of now. The leptocephalus larvae or the juveniles are found in saline bays. The average length of the leptocephalus larvae is 1.5-1.7 in (40-45 mm), the juveniles have long teeth and lack gills.

What is their conservation status?

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed the species in the Least Concern category as the species is widely distributed. But, over the years, we can notice a decline in the population mainly caused due to urbanization and loss of habitat.

What does an Elops saurus look like?

The ray-finned ladyfish has a long slender body with silvery scales. The fish has a terminal mouth and deeply forked tail while the dorsal and anal fin are located in the grooves. Also, the juveniles have fang-like teeth.

How cute are they?

The ladyfish is one of the most attractive species found in North and South America. Any person would love to see the schools formed by these fishes. Also, the young fishes resemble eels.

How do they communicate?

The ladyfish follows the same methods of communication, as other species. Generally, fish tend to communicate through touch and certain studies reveal that they can also communicate by the darkening of their skin and their sense of smell. They generally form schools to avoid predation or communicate easily.

How big is an Elops saurus?

The Elops saurus fish is one of the largest in the Elops genus and the average weight and length of the fish is 19-22 lb (9-10 kg) and 23-39 in (60-100 cm) respectively. The ladyfish is four times bigger than the telescope fish and moon fish.

How fast can an Elops saurus swim?

The average speed of the Elops saurus fish is 40 mph (64 kph). The fish is known for its exceptional predatory skills. Also, the ladyfish is one of the fastest fishes found throughout the world.

How much does an Elops saurus weigh?

The average weight of the fish is 19-22 lb (9-10 kg). The fish, that are found in Brazil, are quite big.

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names given to the male and female fishes. People generally refer to them as ladyfish.

What would you call a baby Elops saurus?

People often refer to the baby of ladyfish as alevin. The term, alevin is used to refer to the newly hatched babies or juveniles of fish.

What do they eat?

These fish form schools while hunting and ladyfish primarily prey on zooplankton, bony fishes, tiny catfish, and crustaceans such as shrimp.

Are they aggressive?

The ladyfish is quite aggressive, especially the adults. This carnivore is known for its huge body and exception predatory skills. The schools generally consist of around 90-100 individuals which could be really dangerous to humans. The ladyfish can attack if someone tries to threaten.

Would they make a good pet?

Due to the large size and violent behavior, people generally don't keep the ladyfish as pets. Also, the species likes to live in schools which would be impossible in aquariums.

Did you know...

Unlike other fishes, people don't eat the ladyfish as the flesh is quite bony. People generally view the species as game fish. Also, other fishes of the Elopidae family are not consumed.

Large-sized fishes such as barracuda and sharks often prey on ladyfish.

The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1766.

The ray-finned Elopidae family consists of nine species and prominent among those are Pacific ladyfish, Giant herring, West African ladyfish, Malacho, and Senegalese ladyfish.

The term Elops has been derived from the Greek word 'Ellops' which means a kind of snake.

The larvae of the fishes are transparent and have ribbon-like bodies. They are also known as Leptocephalic.

Different types of Elops saurus

The Elops saurus is known by different names such as ladyfish, tenpounder, bonefish, skipjacks, and jack-rashes. The species is known for its heavyweight and agility. The tenpounder fishes are found in the Indian Ocean while the ladyfish are found in the western North Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

What fish can live with Elops saurus?

The fish are not kept in tanks due to their aggressive nature. The fish are known for eating small and tiny-sized fish and could be deadly for your other pets.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other fish from our Parrot fish interesting facts and Tilefish fun facts pages.

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

Main image by Mike Cline.

Second image by Clinton & Charles Robertson.