Fun Roundscale Spearfish Facts For Kids
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The Roundscale spearfish, Tetrapturus georgii, is a marlin species that is indigenous to the East Atlantic Ocean, Madeira from Portugal, North Africa from the Canary Islands, and Sicily from the Mediterranean Sea. This Marlin species reside in open waters typically and is assumed to have a vast population.
It is one of the four types of spearfish that is a member of the Billfish family. For years, anglers often mistook it to be a white marlin as white marlin and roundscale spearfish have quite a few similarities.
They even resemble Roundbill or Longbill spearfish. Though the identification of this species is hard, it is distinct from other Billfish species.
These billfish species have a bright blueish-colored bodies ranging 62-70 in (1.5-1.7 m) in length.
Its cousins include the Short bill spearfish, Slender Spearfish, Longbill Spearfish, and Atlantic Longbill Spearfish. The Roundscale Spearfish are open, pelagic, deep-sea spearfish which typically inhabit tropical and temperate oceans.
They are typically found residing in the Central Atlantic Ocean and the western part of the Mediterranean Sea, close to Spain and Portugal. We suggest you keep reading to learn more about this magnificent billfish species, the Roundscale Spearfish!
If you like reading about the Roundscale Spearfish, then you would love reading about the spiny dogfish and codfish too.
Roundscale Spearfish Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a Roundscale Spearfish?
The Roundscale Spearfish is fish belonging to the Istiophoridae family. The white marlin and Roundscale spearfish are often confused to be one. The identification of this species is quite tough because of its similarities with the white marlin, Roundbill, and Longbill spearfish.
What class of animal does a Roundscale Spearfish belong to?
The Roundscale Spearfish is a member of the Actinopterygii class.
How many Roundscale Spearfish are there in the world?
The population of the Roundscale Spearfish is not yet known due to the scarcity of data about this billfish species. However, it is assumed that Roundscale Spearfish are abundant in numbers.
Where does a Roundscale Spearfish live?
The Roundscale Spearfish are typically found residing in the Central Atlantic Ocean as well as the western Mediterranean Sea, close to Spain and Portugal, from Nova Scotia to the eastern Caribbean.
What is a Roundscale Spearfish's habitat?
The Roundscale Spearfish reside in the deep, tropical, and temperate open ocean waters at depths of up to 660 ft (200 m).
Who do Roundscale Spearfish live with?
The Round scale Spearfish are often found swimming solitary.
How long does a Roundscale Spearfish live?
The Roundscale Spearfish have an average lifespan of three to five years old. They reach sexual maturity at two years of age. They usually live as long as three years only and live up to five years rarely.
How do they reproduce?
Currently, not much is known about the mating habits of this species. We do know that fertilization occurs in water and the parents are not guardians of their juveniles.
What is their conservation status?
Sufficient research hasn't been carried out on this fish yet to classify it based on population size. In most regions of the world, spearfish are not caught as game fish because their populations are scarce in some areas and can get depleted by unintentional by-catch.
The majority of spearfish kills are unintentional, as they get caught by fishermen intending to catch other species of billfish.
Roundscale Spearfish Fun Facts
What do Roundscale Spearfish look like?
This billfish species has a slim physique. Their bill is of the least length out of all the billfish species along with a dorsal fin which is longer than marlins but shorter than sailfish and is half of the length of their body. They have a bright blueish-colored dorsal fin which is spotless.
They are of moderate length with an elongated body. They have slender and narrow pelvic fins with large tail fins. Identification of the is hard as the white marlin and Roundscale spearfish species resemble closely.
*Please note that this picture is of a Striped Marlin. If you have a royalty-free picture of a RoundScale Spearfish, please send it to hello@kidadl.com
How cute are they?
These fish have blue-colored body that looks magnificent. Their long snout makes them unique from other marine animals.
How do they communicate?
There haven't been sufficient studies done providing information on how this species communicates.
How big is a Roundscale Spearfish?
The Roundscale Spearfish vary 62-70 in (1.5-1.7 m) in length. The dorsal fins of these fish are almost half the size of their body length. They can reach a significant length of 70 in (1.7m)
How fast can a Roundscale Spearfish move?
The exact speed of Roundscale Spearfish is not yet known. However, we do know that their cousins, the speedy Sailfish (the fastest fish in the world) have a top speed of 70 mph (112 kph).
How much does a Roundscale Spearfish weigh?
Roundscale Spearfish weigh in the range of 45-65 lb (20.4-29.4 kg).
What are the male and female names of the species?
There is no particular name for the male Roundscale Spearfish or the female Roundscale Spearfish fish.
What would you call a baby Roundscale Spearfish?
A baby Roundscale spearfish can be called a fry.
What do they eat?
This billfish species is a surface feeder. The diet of the Roundscale spearfish (Tetrapturus georgii) mainly consists of squids, flying fish, sardines, and medium-sized fishes. Their larvae and juveniles are eaten by tunas.
Are they poisonous?
No, the Roundscale spearfish (Tetrapturus georgii) is not poisonous. This species poses no threat to humans.
Would they make a good pet?
There are no known instances of these ocean animals being kept as pets. It's safe to assume that these marine animals wouldn't make good pets.
Did you know...
The Roundscale Spearfish was classified as a distinct species from the white marlin in recent times because of its distinguishable characteristics.
Do they bite?
There are no known instances where a Roundscale spearfish bit a human. Although they are known to rush aggressively toward a boat.
Do humans eat them?
There is no known instance of humans eating Roundscale spearfish, but we do know that humans consume Hawaii Spearfish (Shortbill Spearfish) which is very healthy and is a good source of protein, Vitamin B12, omega 3, and iodine. It has low quantities of sodium and saturated fat.
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 swai fish facts and skate fish fun facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Roundscale spearfish coloring pages.
*Please note, the main image is of a White Marlin (Tetrapturus albidus) from the same family as the Tetrapturus georgii. If you have an image of a Roundscale Spearfish, please let us know at hello@kidadl.com
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Sources
https://dnr.maryland.gov/Fisheries/Pages/Fish-Facts.aspx?fishname=Sheepshead#:~:text=The%20sheepshead%20is%20found%20inconcentration%20is%20around%20southwest%20Florida.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archosargus_probatocephalus#Parasites
https://www.seagrantfish.lsu.edu/biological/misc/sheepshead.htm
https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/archosargus-probatocephalus/
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