Marlin and Mahi

Blue Marlin, Makaira nigricans

Fast Facts

Diet: Carnivore

Average life span in the wild: Up to 27 years (female)

Size: Up to 14 ft (4.3 m)

Weight: Up to 1,985 lbs (900 kg)

Did you know? It is a blue marlin that the fisherman battles in Ernest Hemingway’s classic novella The Old Man and the Sea.  They are cobalt-blue on top and silvery-white below, with a pronounced dorsal fin and a long, lethal, spear-shaped upper jaw. They are among the fastest fish in the ocean, and use their spears to slash through dense schools, returning to eat their stunned and wounded victims.

Human Interaction: Although not currently endangered, conservationists worry that they are being unsustainably fished, particularly in the Atlantic.

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