Bony fish · Istiophoriformes · Xiphiidae

Swordfish

Xiphias gladius

Near Threatened

It could become endangered in the near future if current threats go unchecked. See full glossary

It is the only member of its family and carries the longest bill of any billfish; unlike other large pelagic fish, it loses its teeth and scales entirely on reaching adulthood.

Weight

up to 650 kg

Size

up to 4.6 m

Lifespan

9 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Moderate

OceanCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Near Threatened Fish Ocean

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Fun facts

It strikes at its prey with its distinctive sword-shaped bill, feeding on pelagic fish, squid and other cephalopods.
It lives in tropical and temperate ocean waters worldwide, from the surface down to 550 m.
A large female can release up to 29 million eggs in a season.
fisiologíaIt can warm its eyes and brain above the temperature of the surrounding water through a specialised heating organ, sharpening its vision in cold, deep water.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - bony skeleton (fish); loses all its scales and teeth in adulthood
Habitat & environment: Tropical and temperate ocean waters worldwide, from the surface down to 550 m
Birth weight: A pelagic egg of 1.6-1.8 mm; a 4 mm larva at hatching
Size at birth: 4 mm long at hatching
Sexual maturity: 4-6 years (males before females)
Gestation / incubation: 2-3 days of egg development after external fertilisation
Litter / clutch size: 1 to 29 million eggs per female, depending on her size

Sources consulted: MarineBio; Deep Sea Hunter Wiki; fishIDER; American Oceans; Animal Kingdom; FishBase; ScienceDirect (reproductive traits study); Aussie Animals