Sailfish

ID points

• Dorsal fin opens like a tall sail, higher than the body itself
• Upper jaw drawn out into a long slender spear-like bill
• When excited the flanks light up with glowing blue bars

Basics

Family

Istiophoridae

Length

2.0–3.4 m

Depth

0-200 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs · Caribbean & W. Atlantic · Open ocean

Distribution

Surface waters of tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide

Habitat

Open ocean, surface waters

Diet

Small fish, cephalopods

Easily confused with

SharkSpindle-shaped body; upper tail lobe clearly longer than the lowerThresher SharkUpper tail lobe extremely long, almost as long as the bodyBlue SharkIndigo blue back and pure white belly with a sharp dividing line

Fun fact

The sailfish is famously quick and is often called one of the fastest fish in the sea. The widely repeated sprint figure of 110 km per hour comes from angling records rather than scientific measurement. Its towering dorsal fin opens like a sail and folds away during a chase, and it slashes into shoals with its long pointed bill before swallowing the prey it has disabled.