The swordfish, like name sake, have a sword-shape nose. They can reach almost fifteen feet in length and 1,400 pounds in weight. They are also the sole member of Xiphiidae family.
A swordfish’s nose sword isn’t for decoration. Instead, the nose sword is an important tool that is very useful in a lot of situations. The swordfish’s nose sword literally cuts through the water, allowing the swordfish to easily reach speeds of 50 miles per hour.
This speed, combined with their agility and sharp sword nose, makes them deadly hunters. Contrary to popular belief, swordfish do not ‘spear’ their prey; their hunting technique is to dart through schools of fish, slashing their sword noses around, hacking fishes.
A swordfish may feast on mackerel, bluefish, hake, herring or squid. Swordfish eyes and brains are heated (while the rest of them is cold-blooded), thus improving their vision dramatically and giving them a huge advantage over other fish in the sea.
The nose sword together with its speed makes swordfish largely invulnerable to predators. Since these fish are huge, the only animals that might reasonably make a go at them are Killer Whales and a few other large sharks. The short fin Mako shark is the rare animal fast enough to catch it, but even if it does, it must still contend with its sword nose. Head-to-head, a Mako probably has only a slightly better chance against a swordfish.
Related Posts:
Share this game:
