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