Bony fish · Perciformes · Coryphaenidae

Common Dolphinfish

Coryphaena hippurus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The common dolphinfish, known in Spanish as dorado and also as pez limón, lirio, llampuga, lampuga, yampúa, dorado-delfín, perico or sandalio, is a species of marine fish of the family Coryphaenidae or dolphinfish, distributed across all the oceans of the world, in tropical and subtropical waters alike. It is one of the star fish of traditional Maltese cooking.

Weight

22 kg on average

Size

up to 2.1 m

Lifespan

4 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Social structure

School

Gathers in coordinated schools, typical of fish.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

OceanCarnivore In schools Fish Ocean

43countries 19parks

Fun facts

It is one of the fastest-growing marine fish: it reaches a metre in its first year and rarely lives beyond four or five years.
It gathers under floating objects and sargassum rafts, where its prey shelter too.
Adult males develop a high, blunt forehead that tells them apart from females at a glance.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bony fish)
Habitat & environment: Tropical and subtropical pelagic waters of all three oceans, between 0 and 85 m and mostly between 5 and 10 m; it gathers under floating objects and sargassum rafts
Sexual maturity: 6.5 months

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coryphaena_hippurus