Description: color
cobalt blue on top shading to silvery white on bottom; upper
jaw elongated in form of spear; dorsal fin pointed at front
end; pectoral fin and anal fin pointed; lateral line reticulated
(interwoven like a net), difficult to see in large specimens;
no dark spots on dorsal fin; body covered with embedded scales
ending in one or two sharp points.
Similar Fish:
white marlin, Tetrapterus albidus (white has rounded
tip of pectoral and anal fins, and spots on the dorsal fin).
Where found:
OFFSHORE, a blue water fish.
Size: largest
of the Atlantic marlins, common to 11 feet, known to exceed
2,000 pounds.
*Florida Record:
980 lbs., 8 ozs.
Remarks: all
of trophy size are females; males do not exceed 300 pounds;
make trans-Atlantic migrations; spawning procedures unknown;
feeds on squid and pelagic fishes, including blackfin tuna
and frigate mackerel.
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