Dolphin fish3/6/2023 (The lateral line is a system of tactile sense organs that detect movements and pressure changes in the surrounding water.) Males are apparently more active feeders than females, evidenced by the larger amounts of food found in their stomachs. Dolphinfish usually hunt in pairs or small packs during the day, as they rely upon vision (as well as their lateral line system) to detect prey. Sargassum is frequently found in the stomachs, but this is probably just a side effect of foraging in the sargassum communities. Adults feed mostly on bony fishes, with a special taste for flying fish. Larvae and juveniles feed primarily on crustaceans, especially copepods. Though they are not selective in their feeding habits, their diets do change with growth. They are a top predator in the Atlantic Sargassum, where they prey mostly upon smaller fishes and invertebrates. With their speed, agility, and a large mouth equipped with many bands of fine teeth, they are able to overcome most prey items. Due to their oxygen needs, dolphinfish must swim continuously to ventilate their gills, and thus have gills with a larger surface area than most other teleosts, which also contributes to a higher energy expenditure.ĭolphinfish are generalists, feeding on all forms of fish, zooplankton, crustaceans, and squid. They have a particular affinity for swimming beneath floating objects: buoys, seaweed, logs, ships, etc. Though occasionally found near the coast or caught from an ocean pier, dolphinfish are basically a pelagic species, inhabiting the surface of the open ocean down to about 280 feet. They are abundant in the Gulf of Mexico, the Florida Current, and throughout the Caribbean. Mature males (6+ months old) have a prominent bony crest at the front of the head and are physically larger and heavier than females of the same age.īoth species are widespread in tropical and temperate waters and occur in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, and the Mediterranean, most commonly in waters between 70 and 86☏. These brilliant colors fade to silvery grey with black spots and dark fins soon after death. Small individuals and juveniles have well-defined alternating light and dark vertical bars on their sides. Their coloration is striking with golden hues on the sides, irregular blotches of metallic blue and greens on the back and sides, and white and yellow on the underside. Individuals can live up to four years, but generally live less than two. The all-tackle game fish record is 87 pounds, caught in Papagayo Gulf, Costa Rica, in 1976. Besides size, they can be differentiated by the shape of a tooth patch on their tongue (the pompano has a square patch, and the common has a round patch) and the shape of the anal fin (the pompano has a convex, rounded anterior end, and the common’s is concave).Ĭommon dolphinfish can reach seven feet in length and weigh about ninety pounds, though they more commonly reach just over three feet. Pompano dolphins do not grow to the sizes that common dolphinfish do, and they are often mistaken for juvenile or female common dolphinfish. There are only two species of dolphinfish: the common dolphinfish, Coryphaena hippurus, and the pompano dolphin, Coryphaena equiselis. They do, however, make similar high-pitched noises to communicate, so the dolphinfish may be named for this dolphin-like trait. In fact, “dolphin” has roots in the Greek delphis (related to delphys) meaning "womb," possibly since they give birth to live young. Few answers exist about how and why the term dolphin became attached to this fish. Mahi-Mahi comes from the Hawaiian language and literally means strong-strong, but is normally interpreted as “very strong.” Dorado is Spanish for golden, referring to the fish’s characteristic color. While restaurants may have formerly referred to them as “dolphin” or “dolphinfish” on menus, many have switched to mahi-mahi or dorado to avoid confusion and outrage among guests. Dolphins are protected from capture under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, but dolphin fish are heavily harvested and marketed. The dolphinfish is a brightly colored teleost (ray-finned fish) – much smaller than the typical dolphin mammal – and sports a blunt, flat forehead in contrast to the dolphin’s beaked face. They don’t look alike and aren’t in the same taxonomic group, yet they share a name and cause plenty of confusion. The Lore & Legend of Texas Saltwater Fishing.
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