3. Underwater World

I'm just popping by with the introduction of just one fish today because it is simply too stunning not to be shared with the world (once again, thanks to Extreme Fishing with Robson Green)!

I present to you.. the enchanting Black Beauty of the Pacific Ocean - the sailfish!

I. Sailfish

http://66.media.tumblr.com/1bd1f2120401cc4c7254ea76d3d0d0d7/tumblr_nhp1ndqWLg1tqy97wo3_1280.jpg

I hate that I can't find this in HD resolution but..

oooooh check out that beauuuutiful, glossy black mane on the Pacific sailfish ❤_❤

https://costaricafishingcharter.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/tony-and-sailfish-2.jpg

I'm not sure if somefish took bites out of its velvety dorsal fin (cf. above picture) or if it's natural but *fish whistle* this is one gorgeous fish!

Species: Istiophorus platypterus (Indo-Pacific sailfish) / Istiophorus albicans (Atlanta sailfish)

Genus: Istiophorus

Family: Istiophoridae (family of billfishes - characterized by an extended rostrum or 'bill')

Order: Perciformes

Class: Actinopterygii

Phylum: Chordata

Kingdom: Animalia

Able to grow up to lengths of 3.4 m and weigh up to 100 kg - female sailfishes are typically larger than their male counterparts - sailfishes get their name from the spectacular dorsal fin (resembling a.. sail of course!) that stretches nearly the length of their bodies and is much higher than their bodies are thick. The sailfish is the fastest fish in the ocean and have been clocked leaping out of the water at more than 110 km/hour! Prized as game fish, no thanks to its exquisite appearance and Flash-like abilities - anglers can spend hours trying to reel in their catch. On a good day, that time can be drastically reduced - Robson Green took all of 6 minutes for his first catch in Costa Rica.

Found in warm waters, sailfishes are often sighted near the ocean surface or at middle depths feeding on smaller fishes like sardines, tuna and anchovies. Look for birds flying above schools of fishes, and chances are you might find yourself in the company of sailfishes!

A member of the billfish family, the sailfish has an upper jaw that juts out well beyond their lower jaw, forming a distinctive spear/bill. Unlike their fellow billfishes, sailfishes do not use their bills to spear or stab their prey. Rather, they use their bills to stun their prey, eg. steathily inserting their bills into a school of fish (without alarming the fishes) and swinging them back and forth, stunning and slashing (I do think somewhat inadvertently) fishes or isolating individuals from the school for easy targeting (see the second video below at 0:51 - they use their bills to swipe fishes out of the school in a scooping fashion). In addition, its great speed and agility in the water aid the sailfishes in catching its prey. It helps that they usually hunt in groups because more fishes = more bill-wielding = more food!

Feeding pattern aside, although I have named the sailfish the Black Beauty (the ones Robson Green caught were all.. jet black - seems like 'black' alone is not enough these days lol), it appears that sailfishes come in various colours, ranging from brown to blue and even silver, with a silvery white underbelly. To make them even more awesome than they already are, they even exhibit chameleon traits! Sailfishes can change their colours almost instantly - a change controlled by their nervous system. The sailfish can rapidly turn its body light blue with yellow/orange dots/stripes when excited. However, it remains unclear what the colour changes mean.

Sailfish Hunting

More Sailfish Hunting

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailfish
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/sailfish/
http://phys.org/news/2014-04-field-sailfish-bill-fish.html
https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/wild-things/secrets-sailfish-attack

2. Underwater World

Here's another fishy feature because.. well, I watched "Extreme Fishing with Robson Green"! Today's feature isn't as informative as the first - it will only teach you how to identify the fishes - because of time constraints and inadequate net resources (there are cool facts about swim bladders and migration patterns but that will have to wait for another time), but hopefully, future features will be better! I'll also be working on an introduction to the animal classification method (think animal family tree) as well because frankly, words like "carangidae" and "albuliformes" are alien to me. We need to understand the basics of animal classification before those terms start making sense! Do look forward to those!

I. Rainbow Runner

http://fishwrecked.com/files/images/IMG_1018edited.preview.jpg

Species: Elagatis bipinnulata

Genus: Elagatis

Family: Carangidae

Order: Perciformes

Phylum: Chordata

Kingdom: Animalia

Rainbow runners can be easily identified by their long, torpedo shaped bodies, bright yellow, deeply forked tail and amazing colouration. Two bright aqua blue bands (with a broader olive to yellow stripe in between) run horizontally along the side of the body which may appear to be pale green/silver/grey above and white at its belly. Rainbow runners have two dorsal fins (the fins on top!), although the posterior (back) rays of the long second fin have separated into a finlet. The first dorsal fin consists of 6 spines, the second dorsal of a single spine and 25 to 30 soft rays, with the last two as a separate finlet.

What are finlets?

http://www.leisurepro.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/finlets.jpg

Finlets are small non-retractable fins located on the body margins between the second dorsal (top!) and anal (bottom!) fins and the caudal (tail!) fin of fishes.

Sources:

http://fish-on.com.au/what-the-fish/q-z/rainbow-runner/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_runner

II. Bonefish (I hereby name it the Cartoony Eyes Fish ʘ.ʘ)

https://www.deneki.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Andros-Island-3.jpg

Species: Albula vulpes

Genus: Albula

Family: Albulidae 

Order: Albuliformes

Class: Actinopterygii

Phylum: Chordata

Kingdom: Animalia

Bonefishes live in shallow inshore water and are notoriously difficult to catch because of their high sensitivity to sound and vibrations (motorboats are out of the question - use a paddle!). Moving like forks of lightning (careful with the reel or you may lose your finger, warned Robson Green), these silver fishes are also known as the 'grey ghost' or 'silver ghost' for their elusiveness in the oceans. It is silvery in color with dusky fins. The bases of the pectoral fins are yellow. (I can't confirm that they have yellow-rimmed pectoral fins because it's not obvious in pictures online)

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonefish

III. Barracuda (this here, looks like a prehistoric baddie of the sea)

https://www.toonts.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/greatbarracudagps-1451D6DD37B6AE66292.jpg

Species: Sphyraena barracuda (there are currently 28 species)

Genus: Sphyraena

Family: Sphyraenidae

Order: Perciformes

Class: Actinopterygii

Phylum: Chordata

Kingdom: Animalia

"I bite, and I bite hard."

Barracudas have a snake-like appearance, with prominent, sharp-edged, fang-like teeth, all of different sizes, set in sockets of their large jaws. They have large, pointed heads and their lateral lines extend straight from head to tail. Their two dorsal fins are widely separated, with the anterior fin having five spines, and the posterior fin having one spine and 9 soft rays. The posterior dorsal fin is similar in size to the anal fin and is situated above it; the pectoral fins are placed low on the sides. Barracudas are usually dark blue, dark green, white, or gray on its upper body, with silvery sides and a chalky-white belly.

Barracudas are ferocious, opportunistic predators, relying on surprise and short bursts of speed, to overtake its prey. They are also scavengers.

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barracuda

IV. Tarpon (fish with the double chin!)

https://gcrl.usm.edu/public/fish/images/tarpon/tarpon.side.turning.jpg

Species: Megalops atlanticus (Atlantic tarpon) / Megalops cyprinoides (Indo-Pacific tarpon)

Genus: Megalops

Family: Megalopidae

Order: Elopiformes

Class: Actinopterygii

Phylum: Chordata

Kingdom: Animalia

Tarpons have shiny, silvery bodies covered with large scales. They have large eyes with adipose eyelids and broad mouths with prominent lower jaws that jut out farther than the rest of the face (lower mandible extending far beyond the gape). The fins contain no spines, but are all composed of softrays. In addition, the dorsal and caudal fins have dusky margins and often appear dark.

Sources:

https://www.atlanticpanic.com/species/view/tarpon/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarpon