Tarpon

ID points

• Huge scales, like a suit of silver armour
• Lower jaw clearly turned up, with the mouth opening upwards
• The last ray of the dorsal fin is drawn out into a long filament

Basics

Family

Megalopidae

Length

1.0–2.5 m

Depth

0-30 m

Regions

Caribbean & W. Atlantic · Estuary & freshwater

Distribution

Tropical Atlantic coasts and estuaries

Habitat

Warm coastal waters and estuaries

Diet

Small fish, crabs

Easily confused with

Bull SharkStout body with a short blunt snout that looks cut off flatCaribbean Reef SharkStout body, first dorsal fin starting over the rear edge of the pectoral finsGoblin SharkThe snout juts straight forward like a long blade

Fun fact

The Tarpon has a specialised swim bladder that lets it take oxygen straight from the air, so it can survive in oxygen-poor water. Hooked on a line, it can leap more than 2 metres clear of the surface.